Countdown To Christmas
by redladyreba
Summary: BOPGargoyles Crossover The Birds and the Clan join forces to stop old enemies from starting a war. The FINAL TWO CHAPTERS ARE UP! Note to readers: There are some intense scenes in this story. No young readers please. Story complete
1. Jail Bird

BOP/GARGOYLES Crossover 

_**Countdown To Christmas By RM Bachnick**_

So I've been writing for a few years now for the gargoyle fandom, and got stuck on a MAJOR writing block. One that has lasted a couple of years now. So I decided it was time to try our something new, and what started out as a little story for a challenge turned into a novel. Ok so maybe not that big….but I've been working at it fairly steadily for four months now and I'm still writing. And having fun! This will be my first even fic posted here, and my first time writing a BOP story. So you're comments are welcome- just try not to incinerate me with too many flames.

I'd like to dedicate this to all my former Clan LeFemme Sistas and Storyseeker. You've been buggin' me to write for ages my friend, and I thank you for not giving up on me completely. I know this wasn't quite what you expected, but I hope you like it none the less. Enjoy!

_Legalities:_ None of the Character in this story are mine. They are owned by the gods in the comicverse, WB, and the giant Mouse in the House. I'm just borrowing them for my own entertainment, and make no money whatsoever offa them.

Some later chapters may lean more towards an R rating for language and violence.

Chapter 1 

December 13

Manhattan

"Dracon! Your visitor is here!"

The smooth talking crime lord tossed his cigarette butt onto the ground and crushed it brutally beneath the heel of his standard issues prison shoes. "About damn time," he muttered as he strolled through the prison yard towards the visitor's area.

Inside he nodded to the guard who monitored the phone conversations and deftly slipped him a hundred as he brushed by the man. The guard smiled, and pointed down to the far end, away from all of the other prison inmates. "She's at ten Tony."

Dracon grunted a response, and moved down to the far end of the room. As he slid into the seat he took a good long look at the woman seated across from him. Despite being locked up these past three years, Tony had kept close tabs on this woman, and he knew that life had been very hard for her. Sadly, it was beginning to show in the fine lines that were forming along her still beautiful face, and the slump of her once proud shoulders. Finally, he reached for the phone and she did the same.

"Hey Sugar, long time no see," he drawled casually.

"Not long enough," she grumbled back. "Look Tony, I have a lot I'm dealing with right now, so this had better be damn important."

"Ah, straight to the point as always," he chuckled. "Sorry things haven't been going well for you and your friends. See Sugar, if you wouldn't have arrested me maybe I could have been some help with those Quarrymen freaks."

"We managed just fine without you and your kind of 'help' Tony," she retorted.

"Yeah, but it took way too long to clean them out. And not without cost it seems," he observed quietly as he looked over her haggard features. "You should get some sleep Maza, you look like hell."

"Tony it took us nearly two years to get rid of the Quarrymen. Then the Towers were hit. Ever since then, we have been run ragged working with the Feds trying to track those people down AND fight the normal crime going on in this city. I don't have time to sit here and banter with you anymore. Now tell me why you called me here or I'm walking," she growled at him.

Tony sighed, a tiny part of him saddened to see his heart's pursuit so worn down by life. Then he stifled his emotions and his face went somber. "Word has it you and your buddies in blue are having a hard time lately trying to control the sudden upsurge in crime. Particularly with the increase of weapons."

He paused for a moment seeing that he now had her attention. "One weapon in particular has been causing you and your friends nightmares I would imagine."

"What do you know Tony," she asked finally. Again, it was without the normal threats that so often came with her former demands of information.

"Names, places, and dates baby."

"What do you want in return?"

"Well a parole hearing would be nice, but I'm willing to part with this information for free."

Maza's eyes narrowed instantly. "No way. There's got to be some catch."

"Well, maybe one small condition," he admitted with his infamous smirk. She merely gazed back at him expectantly and his face suddenly went deadly serious as his eyes went ice cold. "I want you to deal with this personally."

"Tony, I'm a cop, not some vigilante," Maza sighed.

He chuckled slightly as an eyebrow quirked. "Really?" he questioned, his gaze piercing through hers until she finally looked down. "Don't worry Sugar, I'm not asking you to kill anyone. I just happen to trust you more than anyone else."

"Oh?" she asked some of her old personality breaking through. "And what about Glasses? I though he was your right-hand man? He seemed pretty loyal to me."

"Glasses would lay down his life for me and that's what he nearly did last week," Tony explained grimly. "He has been looking out for my.. 'businesses' in my absence. But business has been getting rough lately. He tried negotiating first, but it seems our mutual enemy was interested more in a hostile take-over. Last week, Glasses wound up in the hospital with a bullet in his back while gathering information about this new gang."

"Ah…so this is a turf war and you have no one else to turn to," she said almost smugly. Tony felt his blood pressure rise as she baited him, and his eyebrows drew together in an angry expression. Her smirk finally showed completely through and then suddenly he laughed.

"Good to finally see the real you Maza," he said as he relaxed back in his chair. "Yeah it's a turf war, but this is your turf as much as it's mine Maza. These aren't local boys we're dealing with, and they ain't interested in nobody's business 'cept their own. Word has it that these boys are planning something big, but first they have to arm themselves."

"Arm themselves? You make it sound like they plan on overrunning the city or something," she snorted skeptically. Dracon's expression however sent a chill down her spine and he nodded.

"How long do we have?"

"Two weeks. This new gang- they call themselves the Wild Cards. Their boss is one Harley Quinn. Got herself caught and locked up in Arkham Asylum in New Gotham, though. That's the only thing that's bought us all some time."

"THE Harley Quinn?" Elisa gasped the color draining from her face.

"Yeah, that bitch is crazier than your boyfriend's ex." Dracon smirked a bit when he saw Maza scowl at him fiercely. "Anyway, it's taken some time for her to figure out how to regain control of her people, but she's done it somehow. You've already seen what those new guns can do to an armored car, much less a bulletproof vest. In two weeks, five thousand guns will be leaving the docks of New Gotham by train to be distributed here."

"Damn," Elisa whispered as her head sank into the palm of her hand. Tony allowed her a moment to let it sink in and then he pressed on, a note of urgency in his voice that she had never heard before.

"Listen Maza, you have to go to New Gotham and stop that train before it leaves. Exactly two weeks from now at 11:00 pm the supplier will be meeting with Harley's right hand man to deliver the goods. The train is unlisted and supposed to leave by 1:00. My contacts have no idea yet as to where or when the delivery will show up in town."

"New Gotham? Tony that's another jurisdiction-"

"Maza, you have to keep the police out of this as much as possible. She's got too many contacts inside. If they smell something, they'll reschedule and you may not ever have another shot."

"Damnit Tony I can't just go into this thing on my own," she hissed at him frustrated.

"I didn't say alone baby," he reassured her with a grin. "As it turns out I have a few contacts of my own up there. Talk to your Captain, but make sure she doesn't say a word to anyone else about this. Then look up a Detective Jesse Reese at GCPD."

"What guarantee do I have that he's clean?"

Dracon chuckled once again. "He's as squeaky as you Sugar. Pretty damn impressive considering his old man helped mentor me in the finer arts of….'business'. Junior never took to our preferred work ethics though- even locked up his own father last year. Trust me, he'll keep this quiet."

Elisa looked back up at Tony, her eyes locking with his for a few seconds. "Anything else I should know?" she asked finally.

"That's all I've got for now. If I hear anything more, I'll send word to you." He noticed she didn't ask how, and he smiled a bit knowing that deep down it irked her at how much control he still had despite being behind bars. When she nodded and made to hang up the phone he suddenly blurted out her name to stop her. She blinked in surprise and he resumed his calm tone, though he couldn't help the emotions behind his next statement.

"Elisa, watch your back up there. These people are as crazy and dangerous as their boss. As much as it pains me to say this….take your boyfriend with you. You're gonna need all the help you can get."

"Tony….how am I supposed to take down an entire gang with just a handful of people?" Elisa asked slowly.

"Don't worry Sugar," he reassured her with a determined look on his face. "When the time comes you'll have all the help you'll need."

Her brow was creased with worry, and her shoulders slumped even further with this newly added burden. She obviously didn't like the way any of this was going to go down, but she silently agreed that it would have to be this way. If the police lost control of Manhattan, who knew what would happen after that.

Despite the overwhelming feelings Dracon knew she was going through right now, Elisa managed to twist her lips up in a ghost of her own smirk. "Dracon, I think you might have been a good enough boy to go up before a parole board. I'm sure you can handle things from there."

"Got it all covered Sugar."

"Then you just have to promise me one thing for when I come back."

"Anything for you Maza."

"I haven't had a break in god knows how many years. When I come back, promise me you'll continue to be good…at least for a few months." She was making a deal with the devil and yet she couldn't help the slightly pleading tone that carried over the phone line.

"Maza, if you give me my turf back, I promise you here and now that none of my guys will ever bother you and yours again."

The look she gave him made every minute he had spent in prison fade away. "Tony…..you don't know how much that means to me right now," she admitted in a rough voice. He blinked in surprise when he saw tears shimmer in her eyes, and watched as she forced them not to spill.

"Ah Baby…..shhh," he whispered over the phone his hand reaching up to spread along the glass. He smiled wistfully. "Damn, what I wouldn't give to be holdin' you right now."

"That was a long time ago Tony," she sighed, but he didn't miss the faint smile that played along her lips.

"Yeah but they was good times doll. You tell that purple giant that if he ever breaks your heart I will make one exception to my promise to you. Now get outta here before I have to pay Gino over there another c-note to keep quiet."

His last little remark seemed to have lightened the mood a bit, and she pressed her hand against the glass across from his briefly. "Thank you Tony."

Dracon merely smiled and hung up the phone and sat back to watch her leave. It was a few minutes before Gino finally walked over and tapped on his shoulder. "Come on Tony," he said gently his eyes sliding over to the surveillance cameras. "Don' want the big boys upstairs getting too suspicious."

"Yeah, especially now," Tony muttered to himself as he shook off his feeling of nostalgia and returned his mind to the task at hand and the plans that needed to be laid out.

Elisa woke to the gentle rapping on her door and realized she had fallen asleep on the sofa once again. She groggily stood and shuffled over to let Goliath in from the icy rain that had been falling all week. A couple more degrees and it would be snowing. The massive gargoyle shook himself off, and then reached out to draw her into his embrace.

She submitted, the smell of him calming her frayed nerves as it always did. He stroked her hair for several minutes, his arms and wings folded gently around her body as he felt the tension start to drain away from her tense muscles.

For his part, Goliath was intensely worried- had been for the better part of two years now. Things had gone from bad to worse in this Protectorate of theirs, and at times it seemed that they were making no headway in their efforts to fight crime. For the first year after the attack on the clock tower, Elisa had been stuck working so many double shifts, she finally succumbed to a devastating illness called pneumonia. In the meantime, the Quarrymen had begun to form, and the city was so caught up in the turmoil of the debate, that even his own clan had begun to suffer from the stress.

And then there was the terrorist attack that had nearly cost Elisa her own life. She had been one of the few lucky ones to escape the building moments before it had collapsed. Even now, she still carried the ghosts and demons of that day. Elisa withdrew into herself, and their relationship- what little they had been given chance to explore- came to a screeching halt. It was months before she opened up to him about what had happened to her and how she felt. And then the first of the new guns began showing up.

In the past six months, nearly fifty innocent people had been murdered by these deadly new monstrosities. The bullets were enormous, and packed with a tiny explosive that ripped through five inches of steel like it was nothing. Every attack on the trucks and banks hit so far were well planned, and nearly everyone who had tried to stop them or got in their way ended up a gory corpse.

Even poor Hudson had nearly died while trying to protect a family that happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. The aged warrior had taken a shot to his left foot, and the explosive bullet took a good portion of his lower leg with it. Xanatos' doctors had been forced to amputate the rest of the lower leg, leaving the elder gargoyle permanently crippled. Elisa blamed herself for Hudson's loss as much as Goliath did. As a result, she had thrown herself into the search for the source of these guns with a vengeance bordering on obsession.

Goliath was stirred from his worries when he suddenly felt a wetness against his chest that was not rain. He looked down to see Elisa silently weeping and he held her tighter, wishing that there was some way he could take all of this away.

"God damn it," she swore tiredly. "Just one night….all I want is just one night where I can forget this all."

"Elisa?"

"I'm so tired Goliath…so tired of the fighting, the death. Three years ago, we finally admitted how much we care for each other, and then we were torn apart by everything. I don't want to loose you," she admitted in a shaky voice as she clung to him.

"Shhhhh," he soothed as his talon lifted her chin up. "I love you Elisa Maza, and we will have time for each other. I promise."

She reached up and brought his head down for a kiss. It had been ages since they had kissed, and between the overwhelming emotions and her exhaustion, Elisa felt her knees give out. Goliath scooped her up however and carried her towards her bedroom.

"You need to sleep," he told her gently.

"No not just yet, we need to talk," she said grimly.

Goliath hesitated, but her tone had changed and he knew that she would not rest until she had told him what she needed to. He changed trajectories, and instead headed for the massive couch, where he sat carefully as he kept her curled on his lap.

"I went to see Dracon today," she blurted out finally. She felt Goliath's body twitch in surprise, and then a low growl emanated from his throat. "Easy Big Guy," she soothed. "He may have very well helped to save our city. His contacts have been gathering info for him about our guns. It seems he's no more keen on having these jerks around than we are."

"What did he want in return?" Goliath grumbled.

"Nothing."

"You're joking. Men like him don't give up information unless they can benefit from it somehow."

"And he will, by staying alive and keeping his… 'business'." She then laid out everything that Dracon had told her and what needed to be done. She of course left out the fact that she had promised to get him a parole hearing, or that she figured his men would probably somehow be involved when it came time to make the bust.

Goliath was quiet for a long time as he digested everything. "I'm going with you," he said finally.

"I was counting on it. Besides, with the limited police help, I'll need all the backup I can get."

"When do we leave?"

"I've already talked with Fox. She will have their plane ready to leave tomorrow evening. I've already cleared everything through the Captain, and Xanatos said he will stand by in case we need reinforcements. As much as I hate to rely on him, he's the only other backup we can count on for now," she said with a grimace. She still hated the billionaire for what he had done to her brother. But over the past few years, he had proven himself to be a reliable and powerful ally, even at the risk of his own money at times. Derek may never forgive the man for what he had done in his past, but Elisa had finally managed to keep a civil working relationship with the executive. If only so she could use him in times like this.

Goliath nodded in approval, and finally stood back up to take her to bed. She curled up against him, and he inhaled her scent deeply before placing her under her sheets. "Rest now Elisa and I will see you tomorrow evening."

"Sleep," she sighed even as her eyes slid shut of their own accord. Before she knew it, she was once more sound asleep, with her love watching over her for awhile longer before he quietly exited the apartment and headed for his own roosting place.


	2. Joining Forces

Chapter 2  
  
December 14 New Gotham  
  
Goliath slid a glance over to his companion and asked a silent question.  
  
"Och will ye quit lookin' at me like that lad," Hudson growled as he shifted to a more comfortable position. The doctors had outfitted him with a prosthetic a few weeks ago, but he was still learning to adapt to it.  
  
Neither Elisa nor Goliath wanted to bring him along, but as soon as the elder gargoyle found out what they were doing he insisted on coming along. When all other petitions had been rejected he finally played the 'honor' trump card on Goliath, and the Clan leader finally caved in. But not before Elisa made Hudson swear that he would not get involved in any of the fighting unless they asked him to.  
  
Goliath had to admire Elisa for her ferocity, because he had not once been able to make Hudson swear like he had done with Elisa. Of course, Elisa was more like to carry out her threats against the elder gargoyle if he broke his oath.  
  
"Sorry old friend, just making sure you're comfortable."  
  
"I'm not a hatchling t' be coddled Goliath. I dealt wit' the loss of my eye I can deal with this," he retorted testily.  
  
"My apologies," Goliath restated as he turned his attention to the voice in his ear-piece.  
  
"Detective Reese?"  
  
Reese looked up from his desk and blinked at the beautiful woman standing in front of him. "Can I help you?"  
  
"Are you Jesse Reese?"  
  
"I am, but who wants to know?"  
  
She took a step closer and after a quick look around lowered her voice to be sure no one else heard. "Detective Elisa Maza, NYPD. Do you have a few minutes where I could talk to you alone, away from any prying eyes or ears?"  
  
That made him start. But then he quickly recovered and nodded. "Yeah sure. I was just finishing my paperwork for the night. Let me go throw this in the Captain's box and then we can go grab a cup of coffee."  
  
A genuine smile flitted across her lips. "Coffee sounds great. I was in such a hurry to get up here I didn't have time for my caffine fix. I'll wait for you in the lobby."  
  
Reese nodded, and began to collect all his paperwork together into a neat pile. As he did so he glanced at the ring he still wore. For a moment he was tempted to activate it, but then his last encounter with Helena pushed that thought from his mind. Ever since the attack on the Clocktower, things had changed drastically in his relationship with the three women – especially Helena. He understood the reasons behind her following him around night after night, keeping trouble at bay. But after a couple of months, he finally thought it had been time to broach the subject and gently encourage her to be using her skills and resources elsewhere.  
  
That had lead to a huge fight and one hell of a black eye. Reese tried to call her several times after that, even showed up at Barbara's school. He was shocked at the red-head's nearly gaunt features, but managed to hide it as he pleaded with her to talk to Helena. Barbara only shook her head no and brushed past him with a pained look crossing her face as she turned away from him. When Dinah even balked at the idea of talking things over with him he finally gave up. He had left one last message on Helena's answering machine and had never seen or spoken to any of the women since.  
  
Oh, he still felt the tiny tingling sensation run up the back of his neck every now and then, signaling Helena's presence nearby. But he had never quite talked himself into taking the ring off- even after nearly five months. He would hear what Detective Maza had to say first and then see if he needed to break the silence.  
  
"Thanks for meeting me like this Detective," Elisa began after they had ordered and began sipping on their steaming mugs of coffee.  
  
"My friends call me Reese. Now what can I do for you Elisa?"  
  
She looked down at her folded hands and took a deep breath. "Reese, you and I have a big problem on our hands, and I have been told by an...acquaintance of mine that you are the only one I can trust."  
  
Reese shifted a bit in his seat. "What kind of a problem?"  
  
"A gun problem. Have you heard of the HQ-1?"  
  
"Who hasn't? You guys have been trying to put a lid on that nasty mother for six months now."  
  
"I just found out that a shipment of five thousand of those damn things are going to be heading to Manhattan in just under two weeks and they're coming in from New Gotham."  
  
Reese stared at Elisa shocked. "Five thousand?" he asked in disbelief. "My god....that's enough to supply a small army."  
  
"My source informed me that is exactly what they're going to be used for."  
  
"How in the hell could we have not known about this?"  
  
"Because we all tend to think that once we lock someone up they will loose all their authority and control. Do you know what the HQ stands for?"  
  
"Headquarters? I don't know."  
  
"Try Harley Quinn," Elisa said flatly.  
  
"WHAT?!" Reese nearly shouted. A few people turned their way, but Elisa just flashed a fake smile at them and they looked away disinterested. She looked back at Reese sympathetically, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere as he stared at the table in shock. "It can't be Quinn," he mumbled.  
  
"It is."  
  
"How long again?"  
  
"Christmas Eve, the supplier will be delivering the shipment himself and collecting his pay. We have to stop them here because my source still doesn't know when and where the drop-off point was."  
  
"Is this source reliable?" Reese finally asked as he rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache beginning.  
  
"Normally I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. But let's just say he has a lot of personal investments at stake here, and he's not the type to lose."  
  
Reese frowned a bit as well. "Don't tell me you're going on the word of a criminal?"  
  
Elisa sighed. "Look I know it sounds shady, but I know Tony. Trust me, this is the real deal."  
  
"Tony?" Reese asked as the name rang a bell.  
  
"Yeah. Tony Dracon. Said you might remember him? He was the one who told me I could trust you alone."  
  
She watched the play of emotions run across the detective face, and it finally settled on a deep scowl. "So I suppose that means you know who my father is?" he asked grimly.  
  
"Only that Tony was one of his... 'students'."  
  
"Just for the record, I have never had anything to do with my father or any of his activities. I've worked too hard to become a decent honest cop to have my unfortunate 'family' connections ruin that."  
  
"Trust me Reese, I'm the last person you have to worry about when it comes to things like this," Elisa chuckled reassuringly. "I have more than a few secrets in the closet about my own family," she admitted her expression sobering a bit.  
  
Reese seemed to settle down a bit, and took a long sip of his coffee as he thought about things. He was definitely going to need to bring the Birds in on this one. And a few others that he knew he could trust. "Do you have someplace to stay? I notice you don't have any luggage or a car."  
  
"Actually I do have luggage, I've left it with some friends. As for a place to stay, I'm sure that will have been taken care of by an acquaintance of mine by now."  
  
"Listen I know you don't want to get the police involved in this, and I understand the need for secrecy. But we need help if we're gonna figure this out in time and even have a chance at pulling it off."  
  
"We have a few people on my end that I know I can trust and a few resources that I can pull out of my hat when the time comes. I just need your help in getting more information about who and where the shipment is going."  
  
"Tell me, do any of these 'friends' of yours have wings?" he asked a smile creeping across his face.  
  
Elisa blushed a little and gave him a sheepish grin. "Damn media. I can't hardly go anywhere without someone recognizing me. But in answer to your question, yes. Would you like to meet them?"  
  
"They're here now?" he asked his eyes raising in surprise.  
  
"Just across the street, staying hidden in the shadows on a rooftop most likely."  
  
Reese gave her a funny look as he glanced out the window straining to see any movement in the darkness. "Sounds like someone else I know," he muttered.  
  
"More nighttime vigilantes?"  
  
Elisa had meant it as a joke, but the unhappy look that flashed across the detective's face indicated that she had hit a nerve. He turned to her and nodded. "I have a few acquaintances of my own that I think you should meet as well."  
  
"Sounds like we have a couple of things in common," Elisa commented. Then she shrugged as she reached into her pocket and pulled out some money to pay for the coffee. "We'll need all the help we can get. Come on, let's go meet the guys and then we can go find your friends."  
  
They left the diner and only made it several paces from the door when both detectives sensed the silent disturbance of the air nearby and the hairs stood up on the back of their necks. Elisa whirled around to see a darkly clad female figure and heard Reese sigh quietly behind her. The young woman that had appeared out of thin air stalked around Elisa, clearly sizing the suddenly tense detective up.  
  
On the rooftop across the street Elisa caught a faint movement and gave a silent gesture for the two gargoyles to hold until it became necessary for them to interfere. Reese didn't seem too tense about the meeting. More like annoyed. His jaw worked agitatedly as the intense blue eyes that had been scouring Elisa finally turned on him.  
  
"Well that didn't take long," the brunette sneered.  
  
Reese gave an exasperated sigh. "I thought we had this fight already. Don't you have something better to do with you time than baby sitting me? I am a big boy you know?"  
  
"Obviously," she said with a pointed look in Elisa's direction. "I must admit though, she seems quite the catch. Didn't get nearly half the reaction out of her that I was hoping," she said in a disappointed tone.  
  
Elisa looked from the brunette's face to Reese's and suddenly realized just what she had found herself in the middle of. "Listen Reese how about I go hook up with my friends and we can meet when you two have finished with your...conversation."  
  
"Yes why don't you run along," the brunette told her derisively.  
  
"I wasn't talking to you punk," Elisa snapped back curtly.  
  
"Oh feisty," the young woman mocked.  
  
"Listen sister, you don't know who you're screwing with here and you have no idea what my business with Reese is. So why don't you do everyone a favor and shut that mouth of yours before you dig a bigger grave for yourself," Elisa ground out in a dangerous voice as her entire posture shifted to an aggressive stance.  
  
"Whose gonna make me? You?" the brunette snorted as she took a menacing step forward.  
  
"Damn it Helena back off!" Reese shouted angrily as he tried to wedge himself between the two women.  
  
Helena merely shoved him aside, an act that she accomplished with more force than necessary. Reese was sent crashing into the wall, and left to slump to the ground with a groan. Elisa's eyes were briefly drawn over towards Reese and then she looked back at the brunette.  
  
"Let's take this into the alley boys," she muttered under her breath as she stepped into the dark shadows behind her, eyes challenging the younger woman.  
  
It was a challenge the brunette didn't back down from, even if she did look slightly contrite at having hurt Reese accidentally. "Take a clue and give up now - it'll save you a trip to the hospital."  
  
"The only one whose gonna end up in the hospital is you if you don't back off now."  
  
"Oooo I'm so scared. You don't stand a chance," Helena scoffed.  
  
"Maybe not," Elisa shrugged. Then a smirk twisted her lips up as two large shadows dropped down behind the brunette. "But they do," she commented casually as her eyes shifted past Helena's to meet Goliath's blazing white orbs.  
  
Two deep growls filled the alley, and the quiet sound of metal against leather cut through them. Helena spun around to find herself face with two massive, angry looking creatures borne of nightmares. She gasped, stepped backwards quickly and found herself flat on her back. She had underestimated Reese's companion, and hadn't expected the numbing blow to the back of her knee that had left her lying on her back, with Elisa's boot pressed dangerously against her throat. She heard the click of a safety and looked up to see a gun pointed steadily down at her.  
  
"Look, I have no intention of hurting you. I'm simply here on business, so you can get over the little jealous act right now. If you wish to pursue this conversation further however, my two friends here will be more than happy to fulfill your desire to visit the emergency room. Got it?"  
  
Blue eyes narrowed, and then Elisa's captive nodded once, as much as Elisa's boot allowed. Reese had recovered enough to stagger into the alley and he drew up short at the sight before him. Helena was flat on her back, Elisa having her more than sufficiently subdued as two hulking creatures crouched nearby.  
  
He cleared his throat and walked towards the gargoyles, a smile playing across his face as his eyes slid down to Helena. "Well I was hoping to meet you under a little less hostile circumstances, I apologize for that. My name is Reese, you must be Elisa's friends."  
  
The gargoyles straightened up into relaxed postures as Reese introduced himself, and Helena rolled to her feet as Elisa holstered her gun and lifted her foot from the younger woman's throat. "We are pleased to have your assistance Detective. I am Goliath, leader of the Manhattan Clan Wyvern and this is my mentor Hudson."  
  
"I have to say I'd never thought I'd see a real live gargoyle in the flesh," Reese grinned looking the two beings over with an excited expression. "This is truly amazing."  
  
Helena, who had been rubbing her throat and glaring daggers at Elisa the whole time suddenly paused as she looked back over at the two creatures a look of surprise and recognition crossing her features. Elisa merely smirked a bit and then offered her hand. "And that would make me Elisa Maza, NYPD."  
  
Helena suddenly wanted to crawl away and hide under a rock for a long long time. "Shit," she muttered darkly, realizing the mistake her rampant emotions had caused. "I think I'll just go jump off a building now."  
  
"That doesn't mean much since you'll always land on your feet," Reese chuckled, seeming to have brushed off her impossibly strong attack on him. "Elisa, Goliath, and Hudson, this is Helena aka the Huntress. She and her two friends were the real people who helped capture Quinn. Even though the police department will never condone their vigilantism, we are all secretly happy to have their assistance," he explained with a smile that seemed to soften the brunette a bit.  
  
"I take it this is one of your friends you wanted to introduce me to then?" Elisa asked, forcing her own tone to soften into a friendlier one.  
  
"Yes she is," he said, looking pointedly at Helena who had grace enough to look a little sheepish. "Helena, something big has come up. We need to take them to Oracle."  
  
Helena cleared her throat and nodded as she tapped a slender finger to the curiously designed necklace she wore around her throat. "Oracle?" she asked quietly to no one in particular. The small group watched as the young woman winced visibly, and Reese fought to suppress a smirk.  
  
"Ok, ok!" Helena sighed exasperated. "Listen Reese has made some new friends who seem to need our help. He wants to bring them over." There was a pause and then a small smile played on the brunette's lips. "Yeah they're safe. But I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise that I got meeting them. We'll be there in about ten minutes."  
  
"Go off comms again?" Reese teased as Helena finished her conversation.  
  
"I'll lead Tiny and Gramps here back. The password to the elevator is still the same."  
  
With that, Helena turned and sprinted into the back of the alley where she leapt up onto a third story fire escape platform and then vaulted across the alley's expanse to the rooftop. She leaned down, her dark eyes glittering. "You two coming?" she asked Goliath and Hudson casually.  
  
"Tiny?" Goliath asked Reese with an arched eyebrow.  
  
"Helena's not one much for rules and formalities," Reese explained apologetically.  
  
With a shrug of his massive shoulders, the gargoyle glanced over at Elisa. "I'll be fine Big Guy. Just don't forget my luggage!" she reminded him.  
  
He chuckled and then looked over to Hudson who nodded and planted his talons firmly in the concrete wall and began his ascent. It wasn't quite as smooth as his ascents used to be, but he was pleased to see he managed his climb with only a couple of minor hitches.  
  
Helena stepped back to allow the two to climb over the edge and looked at their wings. "Why not just fly up?"  
  
"Gargoyles don't fly lass. We glide" Hudson explained.  
  
He watched as her eyes widened slightly as he spoke for the first time. "Oooo Sean Connery as a gargoyle," she said with a sexy little grin that made even the older gargoyle blush a little bit. "Well, see if you can keep up boys. Oracle hates to be kept waiting."  
  
The two watched as she took a running start towards the other edge of the building and nodded impressed as she leapt out over the street below. She tucked her body into a tight roll, and then landed gracefully on the rooftop across the street, still in a dead run as she headed for the next rooftop.  
  
"Looks like there's more to the lass than what one sees" Hudson chuckled as he hopped up onto the ledge and spread his wings to follow after the shadowy form racing away from them. Goliath grunted his own agreement, and leapt out into the night as well.  
  
As the two detectives drove to the meeting place, Reese filled Elisa in on how he had come to meet 'friends' and what little of their past he felt was safe to divulge. He admitted there was more to the story, but she understood that if they wanted to reveal more about themselves, that would be up to them.  
  
In exchange, Elisa told Reese the story of how she had come to know the gargoyles and the cliff notes of her chaotic life with them over the past six years. Reese grinned as she wrapped up the last few details. "You're not making my outlook seem very bright you know."  
  
Elisa snickered. "Get used to it now Reese," she advised, only half joking.  
  
Reese pointed out the window then and Elisa followed his gesture. "There we are. Home base."  
  
"The clock tower?" Elisa whispered, a sudden flash of nostalgia washing over her.  
  
"Yeap. Something wrong?" he asked noticing her sudden change of expression.  
  
Elisa shook herself out of it and smiled slightly. "No. It's just that for awhile, the Clan lived in the clock tower above my precinct. That was before the Hunter's blew it up. They like being back at the castle, but I know all of us sometimes miss the old Tower."  
  
"Wait until you see what Oracle has set up inside."  
  
As the elevator opened up to admit the last two arrivals, Elisa felt her breath slip away. "Oh...my...god," she whispered as she moved through the well decorated room towards the huge bank of computers.  
  
An elderly gentleman in a butler's uniform walked up to the two new arrivals and smiled. "Ah Detective Reese, so good to see you again."  
  
"Hey Alfred," Reese returned as he handed over his jacket.  
  
"And you must be Detective Maza," he stated as he flashed Elisa a grandfatherly smile. "If there is anything you should require during your stay here, do not hesitate to ask."  
  
"Um, thanks Alfred."  
  
"Where is everyone?" Reese asked looking around the empty room.  
  
"Ah yes, the gargoyles arrived with Miss Helena a half hour ago. They thought you might be detained for a little while longer, so they have moved into the gym. It seems a friendly challenge brewed between Miss Helena and Mister Goliath."  
  
Reese's eyebrow went up, and Elisa had to suppress a giggle at hearing the elderly man call Goliath 'Mister'. "Challenge?" she asked only slightly worried.  
  
"Yes it seems Mr. Goliath insisted that she quite calling him 'Tiny'. She said only if he proved it. Perhaps you would like to see for yourself? They have only just begun. Please follow me."  
  
As Alfred led them across the room and down a hallway, the sounds of fighting became clearer the closer they got to a heavy set of oak doors. Alfred, reached out to open them up, and then stepped aside to reveal a spacious gym. In the center, the lithe young woman clad in tight black leather squared off against Goliath.  
  
"Is she nuts to challenge him to a spar?"  
  
"She's a lot tougher than she looks," Reese replied with a distantly affectionate smile.  
  
Sure enough, Goliath moved in with lightening speed, his fist striking air as she ducked under his bulk and lashed out with a series of vicious kicks and punches to his unprotected side. Goliath grimaced, but the Huntress had forgotten about his tail. Before she could jump out of reach he had snagged her and whipped her into the floor...hard.  
  
Elisa winced, but was surprised to see the young woman bounce back up to her feet with a predatory grin as she shook off the impact. More blows were traded, and then it was Goliath's turn to hit the ground. The crash loosened a few boards, and Elisa looked around the room hoping their little 'challenge' wasn't about to cost them some new allies.  
  
On the contrary, the woman in the wheel chair, and the blonde standing next to her were watching the spar with complete fascination. Hudson was leaning back against the wall, relaxed, but interested as well. "Have you ever seen her fight with this level of intensity before?" Elisa whispered to Reese who also seemed rooted in place.  
  
"No. They have a 'no kill' policy, she usually has to tone it down to keep to that rule," he explained.  
  
"It's been a long time since I've seen Goliath spar like this," Elisa told Reese with an affectionate smile of her own. One look at her love's face told her he was enjoying the challenge, especially since it was coming from a friend and not someone trying to kill them.  
  
The combatants turned it up a notch, and the blows grew fiercer as they tested each other's limits out. But as the adrenaline poured through the veins of the two, it wasn't long before their animal instincts began to take over and the primal urge for blood began to overwhelm their rationality. The turning point was when Huntress landed a kick that drew blood from Goliath's jaw.  
  
That single act made both fighters pause, and then the smell of fresh blood spurred them into a sudden frenzy. Huntress leapt at Goliath, fingers reaching out like claws, as his own deadly talons began to descend upon her. A cat-like screech met with his snarl, and then they were on each other before anyone could stop them.  
  
"Goliath!" Elisa and Hudson shouted in unison, seeing his eyes flare white.  
  
"Dinah," Oracle snapped at the blonde next to her who jumped slightly as she was startled from her fixed gaze.  
  
The blonde instantly raised her hands and the two warriors suddenly froze. She slowly separated her hands, and the frozen warriors floated up into the air a couple of inches and moved apart from each other under her control.  
  
Elisa and Hudson gawked at the blonde girl, and Reese had to stifle a chuckle. Dinah's brow furrowed with concentration and Oracle nodded to her as she watched the two combatants carefully. Goliath's eyes had stopped glowing and the Huntress's own pupils had gone back to normal.  
  
"Ok Dinah, they're ok now. Let them down."  
  
The girl opened her closed fists and both Goliath and Huntress were deposited to the floor with little dignity. Dinah snickered, and Huntress threw her a glare. "Go ahead and laugh now kid. See if your still laughing after practice tomorrow." Dinah quieted immediately.  
  
Both she and Goliath had rolled to their feet and were looking themselves over. Goliath had a small cut along his jaw, and several more where her nails had incredibly dug into his shoulder. She was sporting a swelling left eye, and several gashes along her ribcage where his talons had broken through her guard.  
  
Huntress let out a low throaty chuckle, and strode up to Goliath. "That was fun, we'll have to do that again some time...Goliath" she invited in a voice that raised Elisa's hackles.  
  
Down Maza, she thought forcefully to herself. Of course Goliath's response didn't help her sudden flash of jealousy.  
  
"Indeed, I look forward to it Huntress."  
  
"Alfred could you fetch the first aid kit?" Oracle asked the aging butler.  
  
"I thought we might be needing it," he answered, holding up the bag that he had somehow magically produced from nowhere.  
  
Five minutes later, Goliath and the Huntress had their wounds bandaged and Oracle invited everyone back into the main room where they could sit and talk. As everyone made themselves comfortable, Alfred brought in refreshments and then settled into a chair off to one side once everyone had something to eat and drink. There was small talk for several more minutes as general introductions were made.  
  
Elisa took the chance to look over the other two women, taking in a few personal observations of her own. The older woman in the wheel chair was obviously Barbara Gordon. Elisa knew her father's reputation extremely well and even recalled a few of the news articles that surrounded Barbara's shooting. Elisa had to admit that from what she remembered, the woman who sat before her now hardly resembled the strong and energetic face she had seen before. Her shoulders seemed slumped under some unimaginable burden. Her green eyes were dull and sunken, dark shadows only enhancing her gaunt features. When she managed to force a smile, it never reached her eyes.  
  
Dinah seemed much more easy going than either Helena or Barbara. She still had the cheery attitude that came with a youthful age. Of the three, only she seemed to smile freely. But Elisa caught the brief watchful glances the blonde kept giving Barbara. Barbara was always with arm's reach of Dinah, and there was a constant glint of worry in the blonde's piercing eyes.  
  
Helena was a whole other mystery. Her fight with Goliath showed Elisa that the woman wasn't just all talk. She was obviously steering clear of both Elisa and Reese, and after the initial fussing over from Alfred had withdrawn into the shadows of the room's furthest corner. It was clear to some one with an eye as practiced as Elisa's that all three of the women had suffered more than one tragedy in their lives. The sense of...darkness that seemed to hang over them was more than obvious. It seemed that the only thing that kept them from being consumed by it completely was Dinah and Alfred.  
  
"Well," Oracle began, looking over the new trio seated across from her, and breaking through Elisa's observations. "I must say, this is quite an honor to be able to meet you three. You've had quite an impressive arrest record Detective. Dracon, Xanatos, The Pack."  
  
Elisa blushed a bit. "Yeah well I have to admit that I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of my Clan."  
  
"Your Clan?" Dinah asked her eyebrows drawn together confused.  
  
"Our family, Dinah," Goliath explained. "Though Elisa may be human, she has more than proven herself to be a part of our family, or our Clan. And contrary to what she may say, Elisa earned those arrests on her own merit," he told Oracle as he slid a fond smile towards the raven-haired detective. It was a look that was not lost on anyone else in the room either.  
  
"Well, we are all glad to have you visit us. But given what little I've been told so far, I'm guessing this isn't a vacation."  
  
Elisa sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair in a nervous gesture. "No, we have a serious problem on our hands, and as much as I hate doing this, the police have to be kept in the dark until the last possible moment."  
  
"And you agree with her on this Detective?" Oracle asked Reese who nodded unhappily.  
  
"You know how much of a stickler I am for doing things through the proper channels. But we can't this time. Too much is at stake."  
  
"This wouldn't have anything to do with those new guns that have been popping up in New York lately perhaps?"  
  
"You know?" Elisa asked a bit more sharply than intended.  
  
Oracle only shook her head. "I know about only as much as the police reports tell. None of the guns have ever been recovered, and anyone who has gotten near one ends up dead or seriously maimed for life. I also know that you have been one of the prominent detectives on the case, seeing as how either you or your partner have filed more than seventy percent of the reports."  
  
"How do you know about those reports?"  
  
"While I don't necessarily always agree with it, the Delphi here can crack into virtually any computer on the planet. While her methods may be less than legal, she's helped spot a lot of clues that everyone else has missed," Reese explained.  
  
"So have you're explorations turned anything up on our guns?"  
  
"Nothing that I've spotted readily. We've had a sudden upsurge in petty crimes lately, and we've been busy trying to figure out if they're connected somehow. Obviously you have some information that has lead you up here though."  
  
"What the reports don't show is that we recently learned the name of the gang and the name of the guns. The gang is called the Wild Cards, and the gun is an HQ-1."  
  
Elisa watched in surprise as dawning horror spread across Barbara's face, which had gone deathly white. "It's can't be," she whispered in a numb voice. Dinah was instantly beside her and even Helena had crept out of the shadows, her eyes glittering angrily.  
  
"I'm afraid Harley Quinn's incarceration only put a temporary hold on her plans for violence and mayhem. Somehow she's managed to regain control of her crew, and obviously has access to funds the government never knew existed. But in thirteen days from now, a train carrying five thousand new guns is supposed to leave the yard down by the docks. Those guns are going to be used to wage a private war in New York that not even the government will be able to handle in enough time."  
  
"What about the Feds?" Dinah asked quietly, trying to calm the shaken Oracle.  
  
"I asked Matt - my partner - that. He said that a few years ago a small group of Quinn's and Joker's puppets had been weeded out of the Bureau - but not everyone. Not to mention the fact that neither Quinn or Joker have ever been interested in New York. There's another major player here that we know nothing about. The Feds aren't exactly discreet in their investigations. If we loose the surprise now, we may not ever have another chance."  
  
There was a deathly silence that settled over the group, and not even Hudson or Goliath wished to break it. Elisa looked from one stricken face to the next. Oracle was trembling visibly under Dinah's hand. The blonde looked pained at both Oracle's reaction and the thought of what lay ahead of them. Helena looked positively murderous.  
  
Reese finally broke the silence by getting up and going over to crouch in front of Oracle. "Oracle...Barbara... I'm sorry this is happening all over again. You three sacrificed so much to see her locked away forever." He took the red-head's hands in his own and squeezed them gently.  
  
"Yet I've been forced to stand by and watch as that bitch drained the life and spirit out of the three of you a little bit every day. Now that I have reason to go after her, I won't let her continue to hurt you any more. She won't win- I promise you that."  
  
Elisa felt her heart stop with the emotional oath. Behind her she could sense both Goliath and Hudson holding themselves absolutely still, none of them wanted to do anything to distract from such an obviously monumental moment. Oracle's eyes finally lifted to meet Reese's, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, but held stubbornly in check. Dinah however, was allowing her own tears spill freely. Helena had retreated into the shadows, but not before Elisa caught her swipe savagely at her own eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," Barbara finally whispered, looking away ashamed.  
  
Reese tugged gently on her hands forcing her to look at him as he took in all three women with his next statement. "I told you ladies that I understood to begin with. But now you know that I'm always there for you like you have been for me. Just promise me that you'll never shut me out like this again." His last statement was accompanied by a pointed look in Helena's direction.  
  
"We promise," Barbara answered in a steadier voice. Oracle suddenly remembered that there were three other visitors in the room and cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Do they understand what happened last year?"  
  
"No, I thought that incident was best left for you to tell if you felt it appropriate."  
  
"They should know... Oracle said with pleading look.  
  
"Of course," he said with a gentle pat of her hand before he stood and went back to his own chair and sat perched on the edge as he took a long sip of his coffee. "Last year Quinn gained a mind control over Helena and used her in her plans to try and take over Gotham. Part of that plan would mean eliminating any threat to herself, so she sent Helena on a mission to kill Oracle. Quinn had access to the codes here at the Clocktower, and while Barbara managed to snap Helena out of Quinn's control. They weren't able to stop Quinn from trashing the Clocktower and killing Barbara's boyfriend who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The ensuing fight took a lot out of everyone- physically and emotionally."  
  
It was a very abbreviated version of that night, and while he was sure the others realized that, they merely nodded in sympathy. Barbara seemed to have managed to hold herself together through the brief retelling and finally cleared her throat. "Even if we are going to keep the department out of this as a whole, we're still going to need extra help. Reese is there anyone in your precinct that you know without a doubt will be able to help us with this?" Oracle asked.  
  
"Yeah, there's a couple. My Captain is one of them, which is for the best so that he can be let in on what's going on. I agree with Elisa when it comes to protocol. With something big like this going down, if we don't at least make an attempt to do things somewhat right, we could loose the whole case."  
  
There was a soft snort from the shadows, and Reese scowled in Helena's direction. "You're both right," Oracle admitted, "but I think it might be best if we didn't give anyone else a heads-up until later next week. For now we have almost two weeks to gather information, come up with a plan, and prepare for one ugly fight."  
  
"How many people are we looking at?" Dinah asked.  
  
"My...informant, is still looking into more specifics for me. But given how much they have to transport and how important this shipment is, we can count on a small army," Elisa answered gravely.  
  
"My Clan will stand by in New York with Xanatos' resources if we need them," Goliath inputted to give them some reassurance.  
  
"Xanatos?" Oracle asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Imagine that huh? As much as I even hate to admit it, the man settled down with a family and turned over a new lease on life. He gave the gargoyles back their ancestral home at the castle, and has become their unofficial benefactor."  
  
"You mean prison actually sobered him up?" Dinah asked amazed.  
  
There was a chuckle from Elisa and the two gargoyles. "Nay lass. He schemed right up until he nearly lost his firstborn. After we helped him, he decided to keep his scheming strictly to his businesses. It's more like a debt of gratitude, but it's one we're more than willin' to help him keep."  
  
"He finally realized he had more to lose in life than just his money," Elisa finished, knowing that Xanatos' good behavior went deeper than mere gratitude- though the smug billionaire would probably never admit it openly.  
  
"What kind of 'resources' are we talking about here?" Oracle asked intrigued.  
  
"A dozen gargoyle robots. They've been nicknamed the Steel Clan- and each one is loaded with a small arsenal of their own. Xanatos still keep his own suit in ready status just in case some one else wants to attack us. And of course there's his wife Fox."  
  
"She was one of the Pack also correct?"  
  
"Yeah, her and Xanatos are a perfect match. She's half –Fey. I'd love to bet that you're term meta-human is the same as someone who is part Fey. Anyway, she's been training along with their son in her powers. She's gotten pretty good this past year."  
  
"Fey? As in from the Isle of the Fairies, the magical island of Avalon?" Helena asked skeptically.  
  
"I would think you of all people would know better that all legends are based on truths," Elisa retorted back with a raised eyebrow of reproof.  
  
"And you're telling me that you know for a fact that it's true," Helena countered.  
  
"You bet I do. Goliath and I went up against Oberon himself. Then we spent nearly a year on the damned skiff that was supposed to get us back home. We ran across the Banshee, King Arthur, the Lochness Monster-"  
  
"Don't forget Anasi, the Raven and Anubis," Goliath interjected.  
  
"Yeah we had quite the world tour. Though next time I'm hoping it could be on a nice big yacht with a shower and at least one change of clothes," Elisa chuckled, a knowing look passing between the two. Then she glanced back over at Helena. "The Third Race is as real as us and the gargoyles. They've just disguised their existence behind exaggerated stories and legends."  
  
"Is there anyone else we can rely on for help?" Oracle asked steering the conversation back to the matter at hand.  
  
"My partner, my Captain, some family, and a few other people who have personal interests at stake here."  
  
"Personal interests?"  
  
"You might as well tell her, she's gonna find out anyway," Reese sighed.  
  
"My informant is Tony Dracon."  
  
"You've got to be kidding us right?" Helena scoffed.  
  
"No I'm not. Listen Tony has a lot at stake here. On top of that, these lunatics have taken out his right hand man and best friend. He wouldn't have approached me with this unless he had no other avenue. Tony's in danger of losing his turf to someone who is a lot more violent and dangerous than he is. Given the choice, I'd rather have Dracon controlling the crime in Manhattan than Quinn or whoever she's partnered with- and Dracon knows that. As I understand it, he has some connections with mob boss up here and promises me that when we need help we'll get it."  
  
"Great, now we have the mafia on our side," Helena huffed.  
  
Goliath rumbled deep in his chest, and Helena squelched any further sarcastic remarks. "I also dislike the thought of working with those who continuously show disregard for the laws of society. But after speaking with my Clan about this, we have all agreed that we cannot be picky about who our backup is- even if their reasons for making a stand are less noble than ours."  
  
Oracle rubbed her temples tiredly and nodded. "I hate to agree with you, but I also realize that when the mob has a personal grudge to settle, nothing is going to stop them. There is someone else we can call in. An old friend of mine who is a cop up in Bludhaven and was Batman's protégé along with myself years ago."  
  
"You're going to call Nightwing?" Dinah asked excitedly.  
  
Helena had a completely different reaction however. "Barbara, please don't bring Dick into this," she hissed vehemently.  
  
"Helena, in two weeks you're going to be at war with Quinn and I'll be stuck here in this damned chair unable to do anything to protect you. I'll be damned if I let a few personal grudges you have with your father and anything to do with him get in the way of keeping all of you as safe as possible. I'm calling Dick and you had better learn to deal with it."  
  
The fire returned to Barbara's eyes just long enough to let the brunette know that there was no persuading her mentor. Helena grumbled several oaths that caused Goliath's eyebrows to raise and Hudson had to cover a chuckle in a cough. She threw both of them dark looks and then retreated into the shadows once more.  
  
"Do you have someplace to stay?" Oracle asked Elisa and the gargoyles, ignoring the moody young woman.  
  
"Ah, well I haven't booked anyplace yet, but I'm sure Xa-"  
  
"We have a spare bedroom up in the loft. I always keep it prepared, just in case. Or there are plenty of available rooms back at the Manor," Alfred chimed in looking to Oracle for approval.  
  
"Absolutely. But what about you two? Is it true that you turn to stone when you sleep?"  
  
"Aye lass. So we only need a safe ledge to sleep out on."  
  
"Well the clock tower is as safe as you can get in this town," Reese chuckled. He tried to ignore the sudden flash of dismay in Oracle's eyes that were slightly mirrored in the other two Birds.  
  
Elisa's tired eyes didn't miss it either but she had been up for nearly eighteen hours, and wanted nothing more than to take a shower, change into some fresh clothes and sleep. "I have been up a long time," she admitted a yawn punctuating that remark. "Besides, I hate having to rely on Xanatos and avoid it as much as possible."  
  
"Alfred can show all of you around and help you get settled then. Elisa please make yourself at home and don't hesitate to ask us for anything."  
  
"Thanks for your hospitality Oracle."  
  
"I'm only Oracle when I'm working. Please, call me Barbara."  
  
Elisa flashed her a warm smile and turned to aging butler. "Lead on Alfred."  
  
Goliath and Hudson stood up as well, Goliath reaching down to pick up the large duffel bag that carried Elisa's clothing and toiletries. Oracle watched as the elder gargoyle struggled a bit to get to his feet, but did so without complaint and limped after the others.  
  
"How'd he loose the leg?" Oracle asked Reese once they were out of earshot.  
  
"To one of those guns. One bullet blew off most of his lower leg. The doctors were forced to remove what little was left below the knee Elisa said."  
  
"One bullet did that to someone his size?" Helena asked skeptically.  
  
But Barbara merely nodded, a deeply troubled look in her eyes. "Quinn is trying to get out by using the back door. She knows that we've been cracking down on things in this city- that's why she's lying low. But if she manages to turn Manhattan upside down..."  
  
"Manhattan will put out a call for help, we'd go, and then her goons here would take over. You realize that stopping the shipment from leaving here isn't our only problem," Helena stated crossly.  
  
"Five thousand guns are going to Manhattan. We need to find the people who are supposed to be receiving them."  
  
Reese nodded in agreement. "We need to attack this thing on both sides."  
  
"Which is going to take a lot of careful planning. Thank God Elisa found this all out now while we still have some time left," Barbara breathed in small relief. Then she looked at her watch and began power the Delphi System down. "Elisa is right, it's getting late and Dinah and I still have one last day of school left before break."  
  
"Yeah some Christmas break this is gonna be," Dinah sighed.  
  
"Do you work tomorrow night Helena?" Barbara asked  
  
"Yeah, I'll be off at eleven."  
  
"I have to work as well, but my shift ends at ten."  
  
"Shall we all meet up here around eleven then?" Barbara asked the two and they both nodded. With a yawn she waved in their direction and then turned her chair towards her own bedroom.  
  
Dinah went over the give Reese a hug, pointedly ignoring the death looks she knew Helena was giving her. "It's good to have you back. We've missed you – even if some people don't want to show it." She threw her own dark look back towards Helena and Reese had to quickly cover a smirk. It seemed that the young blonde had grown used to Helena's threats, and had developed a challenging attitude of her own over the past few months.  
  
"See you tomorrow night," she said, looking back at him with a charming smile. With a wave, she too was gone, leaving Reese and Helena alone in a suddenly silent room.  
  
Reese stood there for nearly two minutes, hands in his pockets, gazing into the dark corner that Helena had taken cover in. There was no movement the entire time and with a quite sigh he turned to leave. He had taken no more then three steps towards the door when there was a slight rustle of leather behind him and a hand settled firmly on his shoulder.  
  
"Reese...about tonight...I....I'm....." There was a soft noise of frustration as Helena struggled to apologize.  
  
"I was out of line and I'm sorry," she finally managed.  
  
Reese whirled on her relieved and angry at the same time. "You're damn right you were out of line! Jesus Helena, you have avoided me for nearly a year! You wouldn't return my phone calls, you even had Barbara and Dinah brushing me off! What if Elisa had been some one else I had been interested in? Who the hell do you think you are, pulling some jealous girlfriend act like you did tonight?"  
  
Helena could only look at the floor, arms hugging herself as she accepted his justified anger. "I had no right to do that....I'm sorry Reese. I just...I just couldn't stand the thought of loos-."  
  
"Of loosing me? Maybe you should have thought of that a year ago when you decided it was 'safer' for me to not be a part of your life," he ground out sarcastically. He could feel all the old anger and hurt building inside of him that had fueled a number of their arguments before she had stopped talking to him altogether last year. But a tear dripping to the floor caused the next hurtful comment to die in his throat.  
  
He had never seen Helena cry. But standing there, with arms clasped tightly around herself, eyes unable to meet his, and tears streaking down a trembling chin, Reese suddenly realized that everything he thought he knew about Helena was wrong. Inside, she was still that traumatized teenager who had lost her whole world in one night. Now, she was standing on the brink of it shattering once again, only this time she had been the one to deliver the killing blow.  
  
The anger fled from Reese in the face of such a revelation. He took a step forward and rested his hand on her cheek, his fingers lifting her chin. "Guess it's a good thing I'm slow to take a hint and decided not to give up on us just yet," he whispered, a sad smile turning up his lips just a tiny bit.  
  
He watched as her eyes flickered in surprise and hope. She tried to say something, but nothing came out and his smile widened a bit more before he answered the question in her eyes by closing the distance between them and kissing her gently.  
  
When he learned back, she swayed unsteadily on her feet, her eyes half closed. For just a moment Reese thought they looked different somehow, but in the dim light he couldn't be sure. "God Reese, I'm so sorry," she whispered fighting more tears now.  
  
"Shhhh," he soothed. "You've said your apologies, I've accepted them. Let's just realize that we understand each other a lot more than we think, and we won't shut each other out like that again – ever."  
  
"I....won't," she finally promised.  
  
"Good. Now, it's been a long night for all of us. I could definitely use some sleep since Elisa assures me that I will be getting less of it now that we're all back in a working partnership."  
  
He watched as her face screwed up slightly at the mention of the other woman's name and Reese chuckled. "Yeah she had the same reaction when you were talking to Goliath," he teased. Her brows furrowed a bit more, and he kissed her again. "Get some sleep."  
  
In the solitude of her bedroom, Barbara sat back in the small mountain of pillows and ran a tired hand through her crimson mane. She removed her glasses and pinched the aching spot on the bridge of her nose as she tried to digest everything that she had been told this evening. It was weird. Here she was, the all knowing Oracle, and yet her mind seemed to be lost in a haze. A haze of fear, anger, and the overwhelming odds that their small group seemed to be faced with.  
  
Reaching over, she pulled open the large bottom drawer of her nightstand and pulled out a fairly empty bottle of scotch and a glass. Pouring herself a double, she recapped the bottle and took a healthy swig. Fire raced down her throat, a warm numbness quickly following in its wake. Pulling her hi-tech laptop onto her legs she opened it, took a deep breath, and slipped her headset on.  
  
She only had to wait a minute before he appeared on her screen. Her heart fluttered for a second, and her breath caught in her chest as it always did when she saw him. Especially when he was clad in his nighttime costume like he was now. "Barbara? Is everything ok?" he asked, worry filling his eyes.  
  
She didn't blame him. The only time she had called him over the past several years was when something terrible had already happened. Like last year. She really needed to stop doing this to him. "Not really," she admitted in a quiet voice.  
  
"Oh god, did one of the girls get hurt?"  
  
"No, no, it's nothing like that. It's just.....well we have a huge case on our hands, and we're gonna need all the help we can get."  
  
He blinked a little startled by that. "Sure...but what about Helena?" Dick had understood Helena's anger towards Bruce. Even though he didn't really know why she felt the need to distance herself from everyone affiliated with her father, Dick had respected her wish not to spend time with him. The couple of times they had been forced to work together, had been highly uncomfortable and easily considered a hostile work environment.  
  
"Helena's gonna have to suck it up this time and deal with the situation," Barbara said tersely. "This is too big to worry about petty grudges."  
  
"Jeez Barbara, what the hell have you ladies gotten into now?"  
  
"Do you know who Detective Elisa Maza is?"  
  
"The gargoyle lady right?" he asked after a moment of thought.  
  
"She's up from Manhattan with a couple of her friends. Their guns are coming from New Gotham. A huge shipment is being sent off in two weeks."  
  
"How many players?"  
  
"Two." Barbara paused to take a drink and ease the shaking in her voice. "We don't know who one of them is yet, but this is all stemming from Quinn."  
  
"Damn it! Can't these people ever stay down?" Dick swore. Then he sighed as he took a closer look into his small screen. "Babs I'm so sorry love," he said with a sincerity that nearly broke her heart. The loving concern in his eyes was too much for her and she had to look away. He had made it more than clear that his love for had never faded. Truth be told, she had never really stopped loving him. Maybe that's why Wade's death had hit her so hard- because she had felt guilty about the whole relationship. She had even been thinking about calling it off. No matter how much she cared for him and wanted to try to have a somewhat normal life with Wade, a part of her screamed that she was betraying Dick.  
  
"Can you come?" was all Barbara managed to ask.  
  
"Of course I will," he answered softly. Then he tried to lighten the mood a bit and gave her a boyish grin. "I've seen just about everything, but I have yet to see a real live gargoyle. Now how could a superhero miss out on an opportunity like that?"  
  
That managed to get a tiny grin out of her. "They are really something to see in the flesh. I'll have to show you the spar their leader Goliath had with Helena tonight. The two of them cut loose and gave it everything they had until Dinah had to stop things before someone lost an eye."  
  
"Little sis finally met her match huh?"  
  
"Don't you dare call Helena that while you're around her or I'll be more than happy to tell her a few of the nicknames I had for you....Shortpants."  
  
"Ouch!" he laughed feigning a mortal shot to the heart. "You play mean Babs! Besides, you really think I would be that stupid and risk having HER getting mad at me?"  
  
"Considering how much she likes to antagonize you? Yes I do," Barbara chuckled.  
  
Dick's grin was dazzling. "I always could get you to laugh," he remarked almost smugly. "Lemme take care of things at work tomorrow and I'll be down there around midnight. Dream sweet dreams about me love."  
  
Then before she could say anything else, he closed of the connection, leaving Barbara sputtering. With a frustrated jab to her keyboard she shut down her own computer, and chugged the rest of the drink. "Damn him," she muttered, shoving her computer off to the side.  
  
She hated the fact that he could break through her every defense with that damned smiled on that that damned handsome face, and that damned athletic body, filled with his damn cockiness, yet tempered by his damn kind-heartedness. If only her dreams had all been of him that night. 


	3. Welcome To New Gotham

Chapter 3  
  
December 15 New Gotham  
  
Reese glanced up through the windshield and smiled a bit as he saw Helena's form leap across the expanse of the street up above. Two winged shadows followed in her wake, lazily tracking her route.  
  
"I can't remember what it was like not having at least one of them nearby," Elisa chuckled.  
  
"Tell me about it. Huntress became disappointed when her sudden appearances started to have less of a startling effect on me. She used to love scaring me. Now...it's like I have this sixth sense when it comes to her."  
  
"A shift in the air nearby, the odd tingling sensation that makes the hairs on your neck stand up just a bit telling you they are nearby...." Elisa agreed. "It's weird just how much my world has changed since I met the Clan. But it's made me a better cop and a better person."  
  
"Do you find it hard to try and keep protocol, with them working outside the law?"  
  
Elisa gazed out the window. "I did for awhile. But they grew used to the fact and respected that I am a human who lives in a human society, bound by human laws, and sworn by duty to uphold those laws. Not to say their influence hasn't rubbed off on me," she admitted wryly. Then she sighed- it was a tired sigh.  
  
"Like this situation?" he asked gently.  
  
"Between the Quarrymen, nine-eleven, and these guns, I haven't had a break in three years. Now I'm facing a huge threat to my family, my city and god knows how many other innocent people. Desperation will cause anyone to make deals with the devil, and protocol be damned."  
  
Reese was silent for a long time, digesting that as he drove towards the docks. Finally, he broke the silence as he shifted uncomfortably. "Did you make a deal with Dracon?"  
  
"I promised him a parole hearing. It was all he needed, because from there he would get out. In exchange he swore never to bother the Clan or I again."  
  
"Do you honestly believe that?" Reese asked incredulously.  
  
Elisa raised her eyebrow at him. "I would think that you of all people should know that a mob boss's word of honor is the only thing you CAN count on."  
  
Reese nearly glared at her, but managed to keep his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Elisa didn't miss his knuckles tightening on the wheel however. "I have nothing to do with my father and his.... 'business'. As far as I'm concerned he's just another criminal."  
  
Elisa decided to let the subject of his father pass, realizing it was an extremely touchy subject. "Well Tony and I have a long history and I probably know him better than anyone else. Tony may have a lot to gain if we get rid of Quinn and her gang, but the Wild Cards made it personal when they sidelined his right hand man. Call it word of honor or just a plain and simple debt, but Tony won't go back on his promise."  
  
"We have a lot riding on his 'information'," he remarked, clearly uncomfortable with that fact.  
  
"And he has a lot riding on us being able to take these guys down without blowing this whole operation first," she countered.  
  
There was another tense silence as they both reflected on the enormity of the task set before them.  
  
"Do you think we can do this?" Reese finally asked quietly.  
  
"I've been trying not to think about that too much," she answered back in like manner. Then her eyes shifter over to meet his. "All I know is that one way or another, Quinn and her mystery partner will be stopped once and for all."  
  
The quiet, deadly conviction in her tone sent a chill down Reese's spine. It wasn't really concern that Elisa might not stop at anything to accomplish that task, but that her vocalized oath rang true in his own heart. When he had shown up at the Clocktower to take care of Quinn, it had taken every ounce of willpower not to shoot her while he had the chance. It was a decision he was now beginning to regret, but he still had a chance to help put an end to the death and destruction. And he would see that it was ended....permanently.  
  
Clearing his throat he nodded to the large dark warehouses rising in front of them. "There we are. New Gotham docks... risen from the ashes of the old docks."  
  
"You'd think the newer ones would be a little more cheery," Elisa muttered.  
  
"There's not much cheery in this town after the sun goes down. Hel- Huntress will be showing the guys around. I thought we might catch up with a few old friends of mine and see if anything different has been going on lately."  
  
"Friends?" Elisa asked as Reese pulled the car over, still several blocks away from the docks and warehouses.  
  
Reese reached into the back seat and hefted a large vile smelling duffel bag between them. "Jeez, you got last's month's gym clothes in there?" Elisa gasped as he opened the zipper.  
  
"Yep, and a lovely selection of clothing direct from the Salvation Army," he chuckled as he tossed a pair of ragged mittens and a horrific knitted cap into her lap.  
  
"Oh you can't be serious."  
  
"Hey you're under cover right?" Reese grinned back slipping a well worn cap that was just as ugly as hers. "My friends are a little shy when it comes to us badge wearers. But if they think you're one of them..."  
  
"They'll talk your ear off and then some," Elisa sighed as she took the long, ratty pea coat he pulled out. "At least vice buys the nice outfits." Somewhere up above......  
  
"Why did they stop back there?"  
  
"Reese is gonna take Elisa on a little undercover work, see what they can dig up from the local residents."  
  
"Ye mean t' tell me people actually live here?"  
  
Helena snorted. "Only the ones that have to Hudson," she answered pointing down towards a small group of people tucked away in several makeshift shacks on the outskirts of the rebuilt docks and train yard. There were perhaps three dozen or so, all huddled around a few trash can fires scattered here and there.  
  
"Down here they've got plenty of free firewood, all the fish they can catch, and a spot to sleep where no one will chase them away," she sighed sadly.  
  
"Detective Reese has informants among this group?"  
  
"Yeah, but they don't really know they're informants. Therefore, the disguise," she chuckled as she looked back in the direction of the parked car and saw two forms swaying and staggering a bit along the dark street.  
  
Goliath felt the corners of his mouth turn up as he watched the two officers act out their charade. Next to him Hudson chuckled as well. "Makes ye wish we had brought along a camera don't it lad?"  
  
"Aye. I've seen Elisa in many of her undercover outfits, but this is the first time I've seen her imitate a drunken vagrant."  
  
"She does a pretty good job at it too. But who says we don't have a camera?" Huntress asked with a wicked gleam in her eye as she pulled a tiny device from within the folds of her long coat and tapped a finger to her ear piece.  
  
"Hey Oracle, can you copy the feed I'm sending you?"  
  
"Sure. What do you have?"  
  
"Goliath wanted something to remember Elisa by," Huntress snickered as she activated the tiny camera and began sending the live feed.  
  
There was a pause and then she heard Oracle sigh. "I really don't know why I let you talk me into wasting memory on my hard drive with stuff like this." Huntress could hear that her tone had lightened somewhat though, and overheard her mentor putting a disk into the computer to record the scene.  
  
Below them, the two detectives broke out into an off-key drinking song, and stumbled by the trio watching over them. When they disappeared, Goliath and Hudson grinned over to Huntress. "Quite a neat little gadget ye got there lass. Lexington would go crazy with all o' the toys ye three seem t' have."  
  
"What, Mr. X doesn't keep him busy enough with all the stuff his R&D department thinks up?"  
  
"Lexington is more than occupied with all of the equipment Xanatos has him test and try. Some nights it's nearly impossible to get him to go out on patrols," Goliath sighed. "Speaking of which, perhaps we should focus back on our tour?"  
  
"Right, back to business. Ok, the docks and the train-yard are all new. The earthquake damaged half of this badly, and then there was a huge fire that burned most of it to the ground. They rebuilt the docks and shipyards on the same site as the old ones. But see where the homeless are living in those shacks along that hill? That's actually what is left of the old train yard.  
  
"Gotham has a large warren of underground tunnels, mostly abandoned subway systems and the sewers. A lot of it was destroyed in the quake, but it has always been a haven for the worst of the lowlifes that reside here. The tunnels are a very scary place- limited escapes routes, very few places to use for cover, and its location plays havoc with any GPS or comm system because of their depths. The police haven't touched the tunnels for years, and even we avoid them unless absolutely necessary. There are access points throughout the city to the tunnels, but the highest concentration of them, were all along the old train yard."  
  
"I take it, that it was an area of high crime," Goliath commented.  
  
"Some really scary stuff happened down there over the years. Especially when the Joker was at his most insane," she said quietly, a shiver running along her spine. "Now it's just mostly used by gangs, and a few clusters of homeless people. But the place had already gotten a bad rep, so the City relocated the new train yards to the other side of the docks and warehouses."  
  
"How often do you cover this area in your sweeps?"  
  
"Probably not as often as I should," Huntress admitted. "Ever since last year....well neither Dinah or I like to stray too far from the Clocktower. We've only been coming out this far if there's been some kind of problem. I guess I haven't had to come out here for about six months now."  
  
"Six months...in an area like this?" Goliath asked surprised.  
  
"Hmmmm...you're right. It is weird isn't it?"  
  
"Six months ago was when those blasted guns first started t' show up in Manhattan," Hudson added.  
  
"Let's say we poke around for a little while and see if we notice anything unusual."  
  
"Shall we split up to cover more ground lass?"  
  
Huntress slid a glance over to Goliath. "I don't see why not. All we're here to do is check things out- Oracle will have all of our hides if we blow things and start making our presence known."  
  
"Aye, so would Elisa," Hudson chuckled quietly as he and Goliath exchanged a knowing glance.  
  
"Why does that not surprise me? Meet back here in a half hour and then we can head back into the city for regular sweeps."  
  
Two hours later......  
  
Clocktower  
  
Huntress uncurled her body and landed gracefully on the balcony of the Clocktower. Moments later, there was a rustle of wind against more leather, and Goliath landed his massive bulk on the concrete just as gracefully. Hudson's entrance wasn't quite as grand, but he managed decently given his recent handicap.  
  
"Ye have a lot o' ground t' cover in one night lass," Hudson remarked as he shifted his bulk to look back out over the New Gotham skyline.  
  
"Yeah. It's a little overwhelming on the bad nights, but we manage."  
  
"You, Dinah and Oracle have much to be commended for Huntress. Your protectorate is nearly as large as ours, and yet we have nearly three times your number to patrol and safeguard our city."  
  
"I think that's part of the reason Barbara was willing to take Dinah on as a part of the team. With two of us fully trained she knew that we could handle the training of others. Gotham will always need the next generation of crime fighters waiting in the wings," Huntress snorted.  
  
She turned to enter the clock tower, but her hand froze on the handle. "Something wrong?" Goliath queried as he saw her back stiffen for a moment. She seemed to be listening for something, but then she shook her head.  
  
"I just forgot Nightwing was supposed to be here by now," she grumbled in an irritated voice. "Maybe he's late... I don't hear anything."  
  
She pushed open the doors and breezed into the room, with an air of defiance about her as she looked around the room for the offending party.  
  
Goliath and Hudson entered behind her, glancing around hesitantly. Barbara didn't even look up from her monitors. "He's at the manor," she answered without being asked.  
  
"Think there's any chance he'll stay there?" Helena asked in false sweetness as she headed for the refrigerator.  
  
"No, and if I hear one more sarcastic remark out of you about him, I will remind you who taught you how to use a batarang," Barbara threatened in a dangerous tone.  
  
Goliath and Hudson watched as Helena glared daggers at Barbara, but backed down in the face of her mentor's wrath. Instead she switched subjects. "Where's Dinah?"  
  
"Checking out a break-in at the Davis R&D Center. The call came through while you guys were on the other side of town, so she volunteered to check things out."  
  
"By herself?!" Helena asked in disbelief.  
  
"All she's doing is gathering info and looking for clues. She just checked in right before you got back, and she'll be heading home soon since the police are now all over the scene. Besides, I don't need her babysitting me every night."  
  
She looked up from her monitors for a moment to give Helena a hard look and then caught the two gargoyles shifting uneasily in the growing tension. With a tired sigh she looked back down at her computer and waved in their general direction.  
  
"Sorry guys. Listen, help yourself to whatever you'd like. Alfred went shopping today and bought half the grocery store I think."  
  
"Lass, we weren't expectin' this kind of hospitality. We hope we're not putting some kind of financial burden on ye by staying here."  
  
Helena snorted. "Trust me guys, there's no want of money where the three of us ladies are concerned."  
  
Barbara bit back a sarcastic retort to that remark and instead forced a smile and shook her head. "Helena's right. There's no reason to be worried or concerned about our financial well-being. Our benefactor could give Xanatos a run for his money if he wanted to."  
  
"Yeah, like if he actually joined the real world," Helena muttered darkly before taking a long swig of the beer she had just opened.  
  
Barbara was on the verge of retorting to that when Goliath cut in, stalling the storm that was brewing between the two women. "Well we appreciate your generosity and hospitality none the less. So have you turned up any leads through your data research?"  
  
Barbara almost smiled when she realized that Goliath had deftly diffused the growing tension and had redirected her attention back to work. He was definitely a skilled leader. "I've come across a few leads, but nothing definitive. I was listening to you're conversation about crime around the old yards and began pulling up the police reports for the last year."  
  
The redhead typed away on her keyboard, and a map of the area come up. Little dots began to appear along the older abandoned sections, particularly near the tunnel entrances. A list slowly began to scroll along the left side of the screen. "Even after Quinn was locked up, there was still some ugly business transpiring down there. A number of gang related shootings and deaths. Appears there was some jockeying for ownership.  
  
"Then about three months ago two of our local gang ringleaders turned up dead outside those tunnels. Autopsy reports says they looked like someone took a rocket launcher to them."  
  
"The first victims of this new gun?" Goliath ventured.  
  
"Could be. The area became a ghost town after that, except the homeless of course. But no other major crimes or disturbances have been reported over there in quite some time. There have been a few missing persons reports filed by some of the 'local residents', but the police don't give much thought to a missing drifter."  
  
"We saw nothing unusual in our patrol of the area. Everything seemed peaceful- perhaps too peaceful," Goliath sighed.  
  
Hudson was scratching his beard thoughtfully. "Perhaps because we only saw what was happening on the surface. The lass said tha' both you and the police leave those tunnels alone. We may have t' think about sending someone down there."  
  
"Hudson you don't understand those tunnels are dangerous- even for some one like you guys and Helena," Barbara argued. "Besides, the minute you go underground you loose comms and its nearly impossible to navigate those tunnels without knowing them."  
  
"Aye perhaps for us, but we know a couple of lads back home who might come in handy."  
  
Goliath turned to Hudson a thoughtful look on his broad features. "Do you think Elisa will agree to us asking Derek to come up?"  
  
"Derek?" Barbara asked a little exasperated that the two gargoyles seemed to be disregarding her warning completely.  
  
"Elisa's brother. He and several others were subjected to an experiment by a twisted geneticist named Sevarius. Their bodies were mutated to something beyond human and now they are forced to live in seclusion from humanity as we are. They reside in the many abandoned subway tunnels in Manhattan. In order to adapt to their current home, they have all developed some unique skills that could be useful to us here."  
  
Barbara hesitated as she processed this new piece of information. "Something beyond human?" Helena asked as she flopped onto the couch, and eyebrow raised in curiosity.  
  
"Aye lass. Sevarius combined their DNA with that o' several different species. They look more like Goliath and I than human now."  
  
"I still don't know," Barbara sighed. "We already have enough people here risking their lives. I don't know if I want to have any more involved. Especially if you think Elisa is going to object," she added firmly.  
  
"If we don't stop this threat, then everyone in Manhattan and New Gotham will be in danger. Who knows where this would spread to from there," Goliath reminded Barbara gravely. "Derek is already one of those extra 'resources' back home that Elisa mentioned. But you're right about taking Elisa's feelings into consideration. Hudson and I have already pushed her tolerance levels once on this trip. We should wait to talk to her about it before making any phone calls."  
  
Helena smirked over her beer. "Oh man she has got you by the tail," she chuckled quietly.  
  
"Helena!" Barbara barked irritated.  
  
Goliath jerked, startled. He looked over at Hudson, who burst out in a large guffaw and slapped the giant on the shoulder in amusement. Goliath's features went from shock to ruffled dignity as he tried to pull himself up straight and look his most stoic.  
  
"She does not... 'have me by the tail'. I have just learned over the years that it is much easier to work with her if I keep her informed."  
  
That defense was met by two snickers, and even Barbara looked like she was suddenly having a difficult time keeping a straight face. Goliath's eyebrows drew together in a scowl as he harrumphed and walked off to the kitchen.  
  
Hudson winked to Helena, who flashed him a wicked smile, despite Barbara's look of consternation. Just then, the elevator doors whisked open and Dinah breezed into the room with a small satchel slung over her shoulder, and a smile on her face.  
  
"I forgot how fun it was to be on a sweep by myself."  
  
"Yeah well don't get used to it kid," Helena muttered.  
  
"I'm not a kid anymore Helena and I'm not gonna have this argument again. With you or Barbara," she added as she gave Barbara a challenging look.  
  
Barbara just rolled her eyes and sighed. "Let's see what you found," she said simply as she rolled over to a large empty table. Helena moved from her spot on the couch to just over the two women's shoulders as they broke down into a babble of gibberish that Hudson couldn't quite follow.  
  
He limped down to the kitchen and grinned at Goliath who was scowling into the refrigerator. "Dinner isn't goin' ta make itself lad."  
  
Goliath glowered at his mentor for a second and then reached into the refrigerator to poke at several things. "Och lad, ye need to have Broadway teach ye a few recipes," Hudson chuckled as he walked over to his former pupil and nudged him out of the way.  
  
Goliath willingly allowed the older gargoyle to take over the task of preparing a meal. He watched as Hudson scoured the refrigerator and pantry for ingredients. Then the elder began familiarizing himself with the kitchen utensils. Once he knew where everything was, he began his task with a skill almost mirroring Broadway's.  
  
Shaking his head at his own ineptitude in the culinary arts, Goliath decided to seek the peace of the balcony. There he leapt onto the sturdy stone railing and sank into a relaxed crouch. His sharp eyes scanned the city for awhile before he closed them and simply let the rest of his senses take in the night. A short while later, he sensed another's presence though Helena made no sound as she too settled in for a few moments of peace.  
  
When Goliath finally opened his eyes and shifted slightly to scan around him, he saw the brunette brooding in the darkest corner to the balcony. Turning his gaze back out into the night, he inhaled deeply and released it slowly. He blinked as he realized the air around him was tinged with anger and a hint of fear. Helena's fear.  
  
"From here, everything looks so peaceful- innocent," he said so quietly, that no one except Helena would be able to hear. "And yet the beauty hides an evil that will never give up.... never die."  
  
His deft ears heard Helena's breath still. Then... "We fight a battle we know we can't win. Is it worth all of this pain?" she asked in a bare whisper.  
  
Goliath paused for a minute, having asked himself this same question a thousand times. Then he turned to face Helena. "If we fight it for the right reason, yes."  
  
"Even if we are risking everything we hold dear in life?" she countered, her voice hitching slightly.  
  
"That has to be the reason why we fight. We go out there night after night, facing our nightmares because if we don't, they'll win. They'll win and all that we hold dear will be lost while we stood by and did nothing. We may not be able to win the battle, but we fight to keep that evil from winning as well."  
  
Helena looked Goliath square in the eye. "You and Elisa- you two are...involved?"  
  
Goliath froze for a second, unsure of how much he should divulge of his feeling towards Elisa. Then he realized it was already too late to try and hide anything. "I love Elisa with all of my heart," he admitted simply.  
  
"She goes out there night after night risking her life to put away one scumbag so two more can pop up in his place. How can you live with the fact that one night, one of those scumbags may get one up on her and destroy her whole world? How can you cope with the knowledge that maybe one night, she may not even come home?" Her voice was rough as her body trembled with barely suppressed emotions and Goliath immediately realized who Helena was really talking about.  
  
A sad look crossed his noble features. "Elisa has been no stranger to near death experiences. I have come close to losing her on more than one occasion. But Elisa is a warrior true and proud, and that is just one of the many attributes that drew me to her. She is one of the few who try to make the most of her life and make a difference in the lives of others. Fear will destroy any warrior's heart if we dwell too much on what could happen. All we can do is cherish the good moments that we allow ourselves, and should we die fighting, we die an honorable death."  
  
Helena's eyes dropped to her feet as she chewed on that, and Goliath allowed her some privacy as he went back inside to help Hudson with the final preparations of their dinner.  
  
It was nearly four a.m. when Reese and Elisa stumbled in. Barbara and Dinah had already headed off to bed. Dick had called and said that he would rejoin the group the next evening. Helena had managed to put away five beers before she fled out into the night back towards her own apartment. Goliath and Hudson chatted quietly in the living room as they flipped the television stations waiting anxiously for the two detectives to come back.  
  
The two humans staggered into the main room and dropped into a couple of chairs. Elisa almost managed a smile as Goliath and Hudson visibly balked at the stench assaulting their heightened senses. "You know if I wasn't so cold and hung over right now, your expressions would be priceless."  
  
"What happened t' ye two lass? Goliath an' I were about ready t' go out an' look fer ye."  
  
"We took going under cover to a whole new level," Elisa groaned as she slumped back in her chair, rubbing her aching head. Then she threw a dirty look at Reese. "Next time we're gonna consume two bottles of cheap wino booze, let me know so I can eat a full meal. No wonder those guys don't move when we try and roust them!"  
  
"M' bad. Next time we'll bring our own bottle. Filled with grape juice," he mumbled just as miserable.  
  
"You drove back here under the influence?" Goliath asked shocked.  
  
"No...that's why we're so damn late. Somewhere along the way, Reese lost his keys. All of our id and comms were in the car and we didn't want to attract any attention trying to break into it. So we walked back."  
  
"I tried calling here... guess they forgot t' tell me they changed their number. Helena never picked up her cel either."  
  
"Aye, the lass is probably at home passed out herself."  
  
"Again?" Reese sighed.  
  
"This is not her first time then?" Goliath asked concerned.  
  
"After the incident with Quinn, she pretty much went home after work or sweeps and drank herself into oblivion. I had hoped she had gotten over that."  
  
"Misery loves company. At least we won't be miserable by ourselves tomorrow night," Elisa remarked as a yawn threatened to split her skull in two. "I need a hot shower and bed," she announced as she pushed herself to her feet, swayed for a second and then began the laborious journey upstairs.  
  
"Do ye need a ride back to your apartment lad?"  
  
"Uh, I'm not much of a flyer. I don't think my stomach could handle something like that right now. Alfred told me he would keep some extra clothes on hand in the gym. I'm gonna hit the shower as well and crash on the couch in the Delphi room. See you guys tomorrow night." 


	4. Take two aspirin

Chapter 4  
  
New Gotham Clocktower  
  
December 16 Noon  
  
"Hello? Is anyone here?"  
  
"Shhhh," Oracle hushed from her place at the Delphi as she threw a look over her shoulder to Reese who was beginning to stir at the noise.  
  
Dick bounded lightly up to her platform and planted an apologetic kiss on her forehead. "Sorry," he said quietly.  
  
"Don't apologize to me Boy Blunder- he's the one you woke up."  
  
Reese sat up in the couch blinking his eyes as he tried not to wince at the sunlight filtering past the blinds. "Time?" he croaked out.  
  
"A little past noon. Sorry about that," Dick said sincerely.  
  
"'S ok. Was gonna have to get up in a little bit anyway."  
  
"How did last night's undercover work go?" Oracle asked.  
  
"Don't remind me right now," he groaned rubbing his head. "God Elisa is gonna kill me when she wakes up. Maybe my head will split open and save me first," he mumbled as he attempted to get up only to fall back into the couch holding his head.  
  
"Either you got whacked in the head by a bum, or you are nursing a cheap liquor hangover. I'm betting on the latter," Dick chuckled.  
  
"Bingo."  
  
"Well Babs and I learned the cure for that long ago. Breakfast, lots of aspirin, and caffeine. So go hurl now or forever hold your peace while I make breakfast."  
  
Reese seemed to think about his choices for a minute and then decided he needed to stop fighting the rising bile in his throat. Best to just get it out of his system and get it over with. Oh yeah...Elisa was definitely not gonna be happy with him.  
  
Half an hour later Reese reappeared in the kitchen after expelling what little was left in his stomach from last night, and then soaking in a hot shower for another twenty minutes to help clear his head. Dinah was standing over Oracle's shoulder as they analyzed some information from the previous night. Dick wiped one hand on the towel over his shoulder and then held it out.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't get to introduce myself formally before. I'm Dick Grayson."  
  
Reese frowned a bit as his fuzzy mind tried to put the name into place. "Grayson....as in the cop from Bludhaven who also has his own Fortune 500 company?"  
  
"The one and the same," Dick grinned as he turned back to cooking.  
  
"You're Wayne's kid right?"  
  
"Adopted. Not blood like a few other people we know," he chuckled. Out of the corner of his eye he caught two heads snapping up and two sets of eyes glaring in his direction. Ok, so Reese still didn't know everything.  
  
"Anyway, I went out on my own, invested my money, started up my own company, and hired some good people to keep things going for me so I could pursue a career in a field of work I enjoy much more."  
  
Reese seemed not to have picked up on the slip and Barbara quickly spoke up, keeping his focus elsewhere. "You mean two careers."  
  
"Two?" Reese asked, trying to follow the conversation.  
  
"Seeing as how you have already been let into the little circle of trust with ladies I guess there's no problem telling you. I'm a cop by day and Nightwing by night."  
  
"Nightwing? The Nightwing?"  
  
"And the former Robin," Dick added, trying not to laugh too hard at the detective's stunned look.  
  
"God, all of you guys are real then?"  
  
"Probably. I never really believed there were gargoyles until Barbara told me that a couple of them had come up here with Maza. Speaking of which, where are they Babs?"  
  
"Sleeping. They really do turn to stone in the day. They're out there on the balcony," she answered jutting her chin in their direction."  
  
"We watched them wake up last night. That had to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen," Dinah gushed.  
  
"So they have a stone shell during the day?"  
  
"Somehow their entire body shifts to solid stone with the rising if the sun. Hudson says that during this period their body regenerates itself. Most injuries will completely heal by sunset, but because they are solid stone they are left completely vulnerable to attack."  
  
"Ahhhhh, so that explains why those Quarrymen freaks ran around with sledgehammers," Dick remarked shaking his head. "I'd seen bits and pieces on the news about the gargoyles, but I figured the Quarrymen were just another bunch of annoying fanatics. I mean most of the time they were getting busted by cops for rally's and public defacement. I always figured that if the gargoyles really were living creatures, then why go around smashing stone statues?"  
  
"Which is why they have chosen to stay out of the public's eye for so long. At least when we fall asleep we can wake up. They go into their sleep each day, knowing in the back of their mind that they could never wake up," Barbara said sadly as she glanced out onto the ledge where Hudson and Goliath rested.  
  
Just then, the sound of Elisa's door being thrown open and the bathroom door being slammed shut quickly thereafter announced Elisa's awakening. Everyone was already halfway through breakfast before she finally made it down the stairs and sat gingerly in a chair.  
  
Oracle pushed a plate of food and a bottle of aspirin in front of the raven-haired detective. Elisa grabbed the aspirin, fumbled with the cap, popped a handful and chugged them with a fresh mug of coffee. She grimaced at the food, but dug in, knowing she needed to eat if she was going to overcome her hangover.  
  
Everyone was quiet for awhile, respectful of the two officers condition. When Elisa finally finished the last of her food and shoved the plate away, Reese broke the silence. "Sorry Elisa," he mumbled as he massaged his own aching temples.  
  
"You hurl?" she asked in a raspy voice.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Apology excepted," she returned with as smug a look as she could muster under the circumstances. That managed to break the ice as everyone chuckled. "Just don't expect me to drink the cheap stuff tonight. If we're gonna get plastered at least we can do it on something with a little more class."  
  
"Tonight?" Oracle asked looking the two over skeptically.  
  
"Yeah, we may have made a good contact. Need to go back and investigate it a little more," Reese explained simply.  
  
"By the way, Elisa this is my friend from Bludhaven. Dick Grayson."  
  
Elisa nodded and gave the young man awry smile. "Hope you don't hold first impressions against people."  
  
"Hey I've had a few rough post-undercover recoveries myself. Hazards of the trade right?" he laughed, his blue eyes sparkling with good-natured humor.  
  
"So I've always wondered, why would a playboy like yourself want to be a cop?"  
  
"I like getting my hands dirty," he grinned.  
  
Barbara chuckled and poked Dick in the arm. "Listen former Boy-Wonder if you make their brains think any harder right now they'll disintegrate. I don't think you want to explain that to the seven hundred pound being sleeping on my balcony. I know I certainly don't."  
  
"You take the fun out of everything Babs," Dick sighed dramatically. "See now you've gone and ruined my surprise," he pouted as he watched Elisa's eyes widen as her mind slowly comprehended what Barbara had said.  
  
"Former Boy-Wonder? As in Batman and Robin?"  
  
"Yeah, when we were both younger, Batman was our mentor," Dick explained as he leaned back in his seat. "Batman and I didn't always see eye to eye though, and I finally went out on my own after I moved up to Bludhaven. I still work with the Titans on a regular basis, and the League contacts me every now and then. But most of my time is devoted to being a cop and Nightwing."  
  
"And you run a multi-million dollar company in the process?" Reese asked in disbelief.  
  
"Actually I have a Board of Directors to do that for me. I go to the most important meetings, make executive decisions here and there, but I built the company to run without my constant attention."  
  
There was silence from the two detectives and then Elisa shook her head. "Ok my brain is now certifiably mush," she groaned as she rubbed her eyes. Then she stopped for a minute. "Wait a sec, you're Wayne's adoptive son right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Dick, Barbara and Dinah all sat a little stiffer in their chairs as they saw the wheels turn in Elisa's head and the sudden glint in her eye. "And you were Robin?" she asked slowly.  
  
"Yes," was Dick's drawn out response.  
  
"Uh,huh," was all she said, sitting back in her chair and looking proud of herself.  
  
Dick's lips twisted upwards slightly and Barbara and Dinah seemed to relax a bit. "Not bad, considering you just declared your brain mush a minute ago."  
  
"What?" Reese asked, not liking that he was missing out on something.  
  
"He doesn't know?" Elisa asked surprised.  
  
"I haven't met Reese before today."  
  
"Know what? Reese asked frustrated.  
  
"That Bruce Wayne and Batman are one and the same man," came a sullen response from the open elevator doors as Helena stalked into the room, and slumped into chair. "Whoopee the great mystery has been revealed," she continued sarcastically as she reached for the bottle of aspirin and the coffee pot.  
  
She was wearing dark glasses, and her skin was a little paler than normal. But her sour demeanor was more than enough to confirm that she too was nursing a wicked hangover. "Good morning Helena. I've missed you and that sunny disposition," Dick said sweetly.  
  
Helena growled in his direction as Oracle jabbed the smirking young man in the ribs. Dinah seemed to be interested in something in her coffee, and Reese shifted uncomfortably. Elisa raised an eyebrow, but her head hurt too much to do more than briefly wonder why Helena didn't like Dick.  
  
Still smirking, Dick got up and began making breakfast for Helena, who accepted it unhappily. There was more drawn out silence, and then Barbara finally spoke up. "Dick was going to take Dinah back to the Manor to train her today. I'm going to go back to looking into some leads that I found last night. If you three are going to be in any shape to work tonight, I suggest you get more rest."  
  
"I gotta get back to my place so I can get my spare keys. I don't want to leave my car down there any longer than it needs to be. Helena you up to driving me home and then back out to my car."  
  
"You left it down by the docks?" she asked an eyebrow arching over the dark lens of her sunglasses.  
  
"Lost my keys, and we were too hammered to drive anyway."  
  
"You two walked all the way back? Why didn't you call?" Oracle asked shocked.  
  
"Guess you gals got a new number and forgot to tell me."  
  
"But you have Helena's number right?"  
  
"Come on Reese. It's not often Oracle actually let's us have a day's rest. Let's get outta here before she changes her mind," Helena cut in quickly as she stood abruptly.  
  
Reese just shrugged and clambered to his feet. After thanking Dick for the breakfast and setting up a regrouping time, Reese followed a sour Helena out of the Clocktower. It wasn't until they were safely inside the confines of her car that Reese finally turned to Helena.  
  
"You look like I feel," he commented as casually as possible.  
  
"It was a rough night," she answered gruffly as she pulled out onto the street.  
  
Reese let it slide until they pulled up to his apartment building. "Come up for a few minutes?"  
  
Helena only shrugged in response and the two slowly made their way up to his apartment on the fourth floor. Once inside, Helena paused and took a slow look around. It was the first time she had ever been inside his apartment. "Guess this kills the bachelor cop theory," she remarked with a half smile.  
  
"Not all of us like to live in pig styes," Reese chuckled as he set his keys down and headed over to the refrigerator. "Besides, never know when you might bring a date back home," he added with a sly grin as he pulled out a couple of water bottles and offered her one.  
  
"So normally it's a mess, but you did this to impress me."  
  
"Come on, you know me better than that. You really think an uptight, by the book, cop like me would have his dirty laundry and old Chinese food containers strewn all over the place?"  
  
"No. But I'm thinking you better not come over to my place any time soon," she remarked taking a long drink of the water he had provided.  
  
"Let me guess, Pop Tart boxes," he teased, remembering her affinity for the breakfast snack.  
  
"Pop Tarts and Jack Daniel's," she admitted ruefully.  
  
"Now there's a combination," he mused. Then his gaze softened as he moved up close to her. "You still drinking a lot?" he asked gently, concerned.  
  
Her whole stance went tense, and he felt her beginning to withdraw. With a sigh he looked away, realizing she probably wouldn't tell him and they would only argue if he pushed. "Nevermind," he mumbled as he headed back towards the door.  
  
"Not as much as...afterwards...." she responded quietly. Reese froze in his tracks and looked back at Helena, who was facing away from him now, staring out the window. "After that night- I didn't want to live with the fact that I hadn't been able to stop Harley from killing Wade, or that I had almost killed Barbara. And if I had killed Barbara, you and Dinah would have been next.  
  
"Then Barbara withdrew and it nearly killed me. God, we fought so much... we still fight. Sometimes I think it's the only thing that still keeps her going. You saw what she looks like, and I know that I'm the one to blame. At first I drank to forget. Then I drank to dull the pain. One night, things got so bad I drank and then went out on sweeps. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in the Hummer, sporting a wicked black eye, and Dinah's driving us away from Arkham. I went there to kill her Reese" she admitted in a bare whisper.  
  
Reese was by her side now, turning her slim form to face his. "Helena you are not to blame for what happened that night," he told her fervently. "You fought back the best you could. I saw it in your eyes that night! Look at Gibson, he never broke her control. You may not have been able to save Wade, but you stopped before you killed. And then you were there to keep Barbara from crossing that line."  
  
"But I haven't been able to help her since!" she shouted frustrated. "I've been such a basket case, and even the kid can't seem to reach her."  
  
"I gathered that from the way she hovers around Barbara like a mother hen. But things have been slow for this past year. What you three do is your life, and you haven't been able to focus on that. Things are different now- you have something important to focus on. The other night was a big step for all of us, but I know that we can work though everything that has been getting us down this past year. But we have to keep talking like this cause as trusty as J.D. is, he never seems to give any answers to your problems," he said with a gentle smile.  
  
She attempted to return it, but failed miserably. Reese just leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You know what? Screw getting my car, I could use another one anyway. If it's there tonight then I'll pick it up. Right now I just want to crash on the couch and doze for the rest of the day. Join me?"  
  
At this Helena raised an eyebrow. "Had ulterior motives in asking me up here Detective?"  
  
"In our condition? Hell no. Besides, we just got back together the night before last. I figured you'd want to work you're way back up to where we left off...which wasn't very far if I remember correctly."  
  
She gave him a shove that sent him stumbling towards his bedroom, and she continued to push him until he was flat on his back pinned to his bed by her body. "Was that a dig I just heard Reese?"  
  
"Uhhh..."  
  
"Now who's suddenly shy about traveling around the bases?" she smirked at him. But her grip on him relaxed and she let him rise up onto his elbows to stare at her as she sat back on her haunches. "Just so we're clear here as to how far I'm willing to go...when I'm not hungover."  
  
Reese chuckled and shook his head as he moved up further on his bed and then patted the mattress next to him. "Get up her you tease. Least you can do now is keep me company while I sleep."  
  
"Tease? Moi?" she asked in feigned innocence, even as she crawled back up to curl up against him.  
  
"Damn right. But I think I could forgive you over time," he said as his eyes closed, and the warmth of her body slowly lulled him back into a much needed sleep.  
  
At sunset, Goliath and Hudson awoke to a small crowd of onlookers. An astonished young man named Dick Grayson was introduced to the gargoyles and then Alfred announced that a meal was ready. Elisa and Reese seemed to have overcome most of the after effects of last night's overindulgence. Helena was as surly as usual, but neither gargoyle could determine if it was from her own alcohol indiscretion, or Grayson's presence.  
  
Once the delicious meal had been consumed, and Alfred had efficiently cleared everything away and busied himself in the kitchen, everyone gathered in the Delphi control room. "So, Detectives, you think you have established a trustworthy informant?" Barbara asked, getting down to business quickly.  
  
"Several actually. But there are a couple who seemed to be pretty in touch with what has been going on down there. We just chit-chatted most of the night, gaining their trust. But then I started talking about how we were coming over from the west side 'cause it wasn't safe there any more, and then they started telling us about what's been going on down at the yards and docks lately."  
  
"Reese got to talking with this one man, and his wife and I hit it off, so I kept her talking as much as I could," Elisa added. "Seems there has been quite a lot of activity down in the tunnels lately. She seemed hesitant about details, but I have a feeling she knows more than she's saying. Whatever it is, this new gang leaves all the homeless alone as long as they stay away from the tunnels. Reese and I said we decided on a change of scenery and that we going to get some of our stuff and relocate down to the yards."  
  
"Ugh, how can you guys stand to be down there?" Helena grimaced.  
  
"Thankfully our sense of smell isn't as heightened as yours," Reese chuckled ruefully.  
  
"It ain't no bed of roses," Elisa contradicted. "But we have to do what we need to do. Both of us think this couple knows what's going on down there and if we give it a few more days, we might be able to get it out of them."  
  
"What about the murders and disappearances down there? If the gangs leave the homeless alone how does this couple explain that?" Goliath asked concerned.  
  
"Those were people who started getting a little too close and nosey for their own good. This couple has been down there for nearly six months and haven't been bothered once," Reese explained.  
  
"So how long do you two plan on staying down there?" Barbara asked.  
  
Both detectives shifted slightly, knowing a few people were bound to object, but Elisa answered firmly. "We talked about it a little while ago, and realized that if we're going to get anywhere with this couple, we need to stick around for at least a couple of days, perhaps a little longer."  
  
Barbara nodded in agreement and then looked over at Goliath who seemed deep in thought. "Elisa," the leader began hesitantly.  
  
"Goliath please don't argue about me doing this. This is my job and-"  
  
"I wasn't about to ask that," the clan leader broke in. "Last night, our own surveillance led to the tunnels. However, Helena and Oracle made it quite clear that even they steer clear of the tunnels due to the dangers. If your informants cannot turn up all the details we need, perhaps there is someone who can."  
  
Elisa frowned. "I'm not following you."  
  
"Your brother and Claw have both become quite adept in navigating and hiding amongst the labyrinth beneath our own city."  
  
Elisa's jaw clenched, and Goliath steeled himself for her outburst, but it never came. She exhaled loudly and ran a hand through her hair as she realized Goliath was right. "Give us three days to see what we can turn up. Then we'll call Derek," she acquiesced.  
  
"Well, I spent all afternoon hacking into various banks here in town and checking into large transfers of money over the past six months and came across three in particular. None of the three accounts were linked to Harley, but when I try to research the companies I get nothing. They are fronts - but to whom I can't say for sure."  
  
"Anything on who the money is coming from?" Dick asked.  
  
"That's what tipped me off. They all came from an individual named J.C. More. Again, nothing on he or she, other than a Swiss bank account worth millions."  
  
"Well that should narrow the search field down a bit," Dick snorted as he shook his head. "So what's the plan for tonight?"  
  
"We need to play our cards carefully. If Harley or any of her gang are tipped off, we could blow this whole operation. So we go about our normal routine, and gather what info we can discreetly. Dick I'd like for you to accompany Dinah back over to Davis R&D. There were some clues that the Delphi linked to a couple of the murders at the docks and Davis has a special computer that is not a part of the system's mainframe. That's where they keep all the specs on their top secret projects and government jobs. It also keeps the profiles on their top level employees. I have a feeling that our gun, is the work of corporate espionage."  
  
Dick frowned. "Davis is a high security company. Even the janitors have to be quadruple checked just to work there. If something was stolen from them, it had to be a damn good inside job."  
  
"How are we going to get inside?" Dinah asked hesitantly.  
  
Barbara flexed her fingers over her keys and looked at her screen. "Dick is as almost as good a hack as I am. But what he misses I'll catch. Once you two attach a transmitter, Delphi will have everything out of that computer in less than five minutes. In and out."  
  
"You want me to take the guys here on sweeps then?" Helena asked nodding towards Goliath and Hudson.  
  
Barbara cleared her throat and began to look a little sheepish. "Uh, actually I was going to suggest that perhaps it might be best if Goliath and Hudson kept a low profile for a little while."  
  
Wings ruffled slightly at that suggestion, but Goliath sighed in acknowledgement. "You are correct that our presence here could ruin our element of surprise, but we are not accustomed to sitting by idly for a several days."  
  
"Perhaps I could be of assistance Miss Barbara?" Alfred spoke up from his quiet place in the back of the room.  
  
All eyes turned inquisitively towards him. "I have spent much of my time here, and upon the return of Master Dick, I was loathe to realize I had neglected the Cave for so long. Seeing as how we may need to rely on all of our resources, I would be eternally grateful for some assistance. It seems that these old bones just don't want to hike and climb and hang around the Cave like they used to."  
  
Barbara's eyes blinked in surprise. To her knowledge, she had never heard Alfred admit to a weakness on his part. From the look on Dick's face, neither had he. "Hudson and I would be honored to be of assistance to you Alfred," Goliath answered without hesitation.  
  
"Excellent! I promise you both, this won't be as dreary as it sounds. I think you'll be in for quite a surprise."  
  
The Gotham group, minus Reese, chuckled a bit at that remark, knowing just how much of a surprise the gargoyles would be in for once they reached the massive Wayne Manor and it's hidden secrets below. "Sounds like we're set then. Detectives, I'll fix you both up with comms. This way you can contact us if you need to and we can keep a tabs on your whereabouts."  
  
"We should set up a specific contact time," Elisa agreed as she took one of the tiny ear pieces and slipped it inside her ear canal. She was amazed to realize it didn't impede her normal hearing. In fact it seemed to augment it. Barbara smirked a bit as she saw the mutual look of surprise on both detectives' faces.  
  
"That's fresh off the Barbara Gordon research table," Helena commented proudly as she slipped in her own ear piece. "I love all the gadgets she comes up with for me to test out."  
  
"No wonder you guys get hooked on being vigilantes," Elisa chuckled as she slipped on a ring that bore Oracle's symbol. "Hell, if I could play with all these toys every night I'd be tempted to give up doing things the old fashioned way."  
  
"I hear Xanatos is always lookin' fer someone t' test his new gizmo's," Hudson remarked casually.  
  
Goliath was hard pressed to not laugh at that tease, but Hudson didn't even bother as Elisa threw him a hard look. His laugh triggered a few other snickers, and as Helena slid by Goliath on her way to the balcony she noticed him trying not to join in the teasing. "Definitely got you by the tail," she muttered under her breath just loud enough for only him to hear.  
  
Then she was gone, disappearing into the night with a running leap. Dick turned to Elisa and Reese. "You two need a ride back down to the docks?"  
  
"If you can stand the smell of us for at least a few miles," Reese chuckled.  
  
"I'm on my bike, but I'm sure D would just love to offer her services as chauffeur," Dick grinned.  
  
"What? Wait that's not fair!" she protested.  
  
"Dinah would be more than happy to drive you two down to the docks," Barbara answered cutting off any more protests from the teen. "You guys should all get changed and head out soon, before it gets too much later."  
  
Goliath silently beckoned to Elisa, who detached herself from the group as they began to disperse, and moved off to a quiet corner with the lavender giant. "Sorry to bring you guys all the way up here just to have you get stuck with house cleaning," she said a little guiltily.  
  
"Barbara is right. We need to keep our existence here a secret for now. Besides, I have a feeling Alfred wasn't joking when he said we would be in for a pleasant surprise. Have you recovered from last night?"  
  
"For the most part. But Reese already stopped by the store before he came here and bought us a couple of bottles of the non-alcohol stuff. Can't afford to miss something."  
  
"Be safe Elisa," he told her with all his heart as his massive claw ran lightly through her dark hair.  
  
"You too," she replied, not being able to give him a promise of her own safety. Then before the despair in her heart began to grow overwhelming, she turned away from him and withdrew from the room to change.  
  
"Don't fret too much Mister Goliath. Barbara watches over all of them as one of her own. And I imagine Miss Elisa can handle herself fairly well in dire situations anyway," Alfred remarked with a reassuring smile as he walked up to the lone gargoyle.  
  
"Aye," Goliath acknowledged with a faint smile of his own as he turned towards the aging butler. "She handled the Huntress, and as Helena has repeatedly reminded me, she has me by the tail as well."  
  
"We are but mere males," Alfred chuckled gently. "But I was not aware of the incident with Miss Helena. I would be fascinated to hear that adventure and any others you might be willing to tell when we get back to the Manor."  
  
Goliath chuckled. "I'm sure Hudson and I could think of a few stories that might be of interest."  
  
"Indeed." 


	5. Tough Love

December 18  
  
Somewhere on the rooftops of Gotham.......  
  
Helena felt a growl work its way up her throat, as the air shifted nearby and a dark-suited figure stepped from the shadows.  
  
The masked figure regarded her calmly, and then boldly moved to sit on the ledge next to her. Helena scooted several inches away from his intruding presence, glaring dangerously at him, her eyes shifting into predator mode.  
  
"You never showed up tonight for sweeps."  
  
"Had to work an extra shift, and I needed to think about some things."  
  
"She's been worried about you all night you know," the masked man known as Nightwing said casually.  
  
With a defiant shake of her head and a snort Helena went back to her brooding.  
  
"She always worries."  
  
"Yeah well, I guess you've given her plenty of reason to over the past year."  
  
That remark cut Helena to the bone. Rage boiled up inside of her uncontrolled, and she lashed out at Nightwing with lightening fast fury. Which was exactly what he was expecting. The masked crusader rolled back off the ledge, and back-flipped twice more to bring himself a few feet outside of Helena's range.  
  
"Who the hell are you to judge me?" she hissed as she charged him blindly.  
  
Nightwing easily sidestepped the attack, tripped Helena up and brought a weighted gloved into her side with full force. "Family remember?" he ground out.  
  
Helena sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes shifting once more, and she crouched down low waiting for an opening. "Screw you. You have been as much family as He has- which is nothing!"  
  
"Because you won't let me in damn it!" he shouted back at her in frustration.  
  
He shifted his stance slightly, and it was the opening she was waiting for. She lashed out with a foot that caught him in the chest and sent him flying backwards. He crashed into a brick chimney, and she charged him once more. She forgot that his suit was designed to withstand hard impacts though, and was unprepared for him to recover from her kick as quickly as he did.  
  
She was in mid-swing when his hand caught her fist and he used her momentum to flip her over his knee. She landed heavily on her back, swept her leg out and managed to knock Nightwing down as she rolled to her feet with cat-like grace. Her foot lashed out once more, and this time her boot caught the young man in the chin, splitting his lip as his head snapped around violently.  
  
"Give me one good reason why I should let you in?" she demanded of him, a predatory grin curling her lips at the sight of him bleeding.  
  
"Because I care for you Helena. I care for you just as much as Barbara and Alfred does," he told her harshly as he spat blood onto the roof. She started with that revelation, and her guard slipped just enough for him to sucker punch her with all that he had.  
  
Her trip up from the ground was less graceful, as she stared at him in shock. "So what's this?" she finally asked stalking around him on the hunt again.  
  
"Tough love?" he quipped. She snarled and lunged, and he spun out of the way once more, his hand chopping down sharply on the back of her neck as she went by.  
  
"Look at you," he taunted. "You've become so careless and unfocused you can't even beat me."  
  
This time the attack came so fast, he didn't have any time to react. Thankfully his suit buffered most of the impact, but he was still left gasping for breath, when her weight settled on top of him and her hands circled his throat.  
  
He looked up into her wild untamed eyes, and realized that only one thing would reign in the Huntress. "Go ahead," he gasped. "Kill me."  
  
Her eyes flashed violently and the hands squeezed tighter. Before she completely cut off all his air though, he managed to choke out the one thing that would bring Helena's sanity back. "Kill me...and you will kill Barbara too...."  
  
The woman on top of him froze, and then as quickly as she had attacked him, she retreated. Nightwing dropped his head back onto the rooftop and closed his eyes as he sucked air down his bruised windpipe. Then with a groan, he sat up and spotted Helena several feet away.  
  
She was curled up tightly, her body trembling as violent emotions warred within her. "What do you want?" she asked in a rough voice.  
  
"What happened last year wasn't your fault Helena," Dick sighed as he took off his mask to talk face to face with her. He crouched down several feet away from her, but close enough to read her face. "You need to stop blaming yourself for something you couldn't control."  
  
"You know every one keeps saying that, but no one gets it. I GOT BARBARA'S BOYFRIEND KILLED! It doesn't matter how it went down, it all happened because Harley used ME."  
  
"Well I hate to be the one to break it to you little sis, but that's what these psycho's live for. This is all a game to them! Joker, Harley, Ivy.... Yeah they all have some agenda, but their main goal is to find a way to break us. The Joker got your father Helena, and now Quinn is doing the same thing to you," Dick finished softly.  
  
Helena was silent for several long minutes. "I will never run like him," she stated harshly.  
  
"No, I don't think you would. But how many times have you gone into a situation, not caring if you came out?" he asked bluntly.  
  
She couldn't meet his gaze and he sighed. "Helena, you don't have to believe it, but I do care about you. And you're already aware of just how much I love Barbara. The more you two withdraw from each other, a small piece of you dies. I won't stand by anymore and let that happen. You're a grown woman as much as she is, it's time for both of you to suck it up and deal."  
  
Helena's eyes narrowed and she looked ready to say something more as her mouth opened. But words failed her, and her lips pressed tightly together unwilling to admit he was right. Deep down, she knew he was though. Life sucked sometimes, and that was just the way the dice rolled. There was nothing she could do about it, and damned if she was going to let Harley break her.  
  
Dick seemed to sense the change in her, and nodded once before replacing his mask. She did not move from her spot in the shadows as he stepped up to the ledge and dropped off into the darkness below. Several moments later, Helena's keen hearing picked up the sound of his motorcycle racing off in the direction of Wayne Manor.  
  
With a sigh, the brunette dropped her head onto her knees, and wondered how in the hell she was going to make things right with Barbara.  
  
"Nightwing to Oracle."  
  
"Copy Nightwing. Did you find her?"  
  
"Eventually. She was okay."  
  
"Then why-"  
  
"Said she needed to do some thinking. I just gave her a little more to think about," Nightwing answered, grinning a bit until his lip re-split and he tasted fresh blood.  
  
"Oh," came the hesitant response. "You heading in for the night then?"  
  
"Yeah, I promised the Canary more training in theafternoon."  
  
"You realize you're only feeding her infatuation with you," came the amused remark.  
  
"Well I gotta get some love from one of you ladies," Dick teased.  
  
"I'm sure Huntress would be more than happy to give you some 'love'."  
  
"Been there done that, hope I don't have to do it again," Dick admitted ruefully.  
  
"Thought you said you only gave her more thinking to do?" Barbara asked, curious now.  
  
"Well you know what a think skull she has. I had to beat the thought into her first. Give her an ice pack from me when she gets home okay?"  
  
Barbara chuckled, and he could just see her shaking her beautiful head at him. "You have such a winning way with women. I'm sure she'll be flattered. Good night troublemaker."  
  
"Night love," he returned affectionately as she signed off and gunned his bike even faster down the final stretch towards the Cave. 


	6. midnight discussions

December 18 (still)  
  
Old Gotham Docks......  
  
Reese and Elisa huddled together near the fire, trying in vain to keep the chill at bay. "I don't know what's scarier," Elisa commented wryly as she stared into the flames. "The fact that I don't notice the stench any more, or that I can actually drink this sludge they call coffee."  
  
Reese chuckled quietly, making sure not to disturb any of the other residents. "How about not being concerned with the fact that we can't feel half our body?" he added.  
  
"Or that we've only had about three hours of sleep the past two days and we haven't gone postal yet."  
  
"I think that sludge is the only thing keeping us sane right now," Reese grinned. "So what was you're last undercover op?"  
  
"You mean besides trying to track these damn guns down? Homicide had a nut job that had something against bouncers in strip clubs."  
  
Reese looked funny at her. "So how did you come into play?"  
  
Elisa grinned at the memory. "Homicide figured out where their boy was most likely to hit next, so we replaced the real bouncers with a couple of our own big boys. Matt- my partner- was the bartender, homicide had a couple of their own guys in there as 'patrons', and a couple of girls from Vice volunteered to be waitresses. I was Lady Elizabeth, Mistress of the Club," Elisa giggled.  
  
"Tell me you didn't..." Reese broke off trying to restrain his laughing.  
  
"Oh yeah," Elisa answered with a wicked grin. "And they even let me keep the outfit after the bust."  
  
"I can't believe what some of you ladies put up with- especially those in Vice," he told her with sincere respectfulness.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, I've seen some of our best women put on a skimpy outfit, strut in front of her co-workers while undercover, and put up with being manhandled by some drunk until they can make a bust. I mean it's not like you see the guys facing public embarrassment like that on a regular basis."  
  
Elisa thought about that and shrugged. "I guess it was embarrassing my first couple of times, but I think it was mostly nerves. I mean here you have to go out there, and you hardly have anywhere to put your gun" she chuckled quietly.  
  
Reese arched an eyebrow and grinned. "So where DO you put your gun?"  
  
Elisa answered him with an elbow to the ribs. "Getting back to your comment though- I don't think we really find it embarrassing though. Sure, we usually have to endure a week or two of teasing after an op like that. And of course the rest of the women hate us because of our good looks," she said with a lopsided smirk. "But we still kick ass like the rest of you guys do...and we can do it half naked," she stated proudly.  
  
"And you get to keep the costume," Reese added.  
  
Elisa's grin was slowly replaced by a wistful look as she stared into the fire for a few quiet seconds. "Too bad I never get to use them for a special occasion," she sighed as she crumpled her Styrofoam cup and tossed it into the fire.  
  
Reese was silent for a few minutes, and then finally shifted. "So, um, you and Goliath....?" he asked gingerly.  
  
Elisa's breath stilled for a second, and then she cleared her throat. "He's become one of my best friends over the past several years," she finally answered. "I mean, we spent all that time together with Angela and Bronx, saving each others asses. If I wasn't already a member of the Clan, I sure as hell was after that trip."  
  
Reese wasn't buying the neutral answer however. "Just Clan huh?" he asked, a skeptical look on his face.  
  
Elisa shifted, avoiding his eyes. "Yeah. Like I said, friends."  
  
Reese just continued to look at her, and she fidgeted a bit more. "Huh."  
  
"Huh what?" she asked defensively.  
  
"Well I was pretty sure you were ready to kick Helena's ass for flirting with Goliath after that spar the first night," he said flippantly. "But if you two are just friends, then I guess Helena's constantly flirting nature wouldn't really bother you. Especially given the fact that she's fascinated by him, and we've been out here for two days."  
  
She tried not to fall for the bait. But exhaustion and jealousy finally won out and she slid a concerned look sideways. "You two are together though, right?" she asked trying to sound casual.  
  
Reese just shrugged his shoulders non-committaly. "We used to be. I'd like to think that now that she's actually talking to me, we can pick up where we left off. But Helena has some huge issues to deal with in her life. Commitment being one of them."  
  
"You...um...don't think she would really.....?" Elisa asked, berating herself for how uncertain and fearful she suddenly sounded.  
  
Reese finally chuckled. "Nah, she thought you two made a great couple too," he told her teasingly.  
  
Anger and embarrassment raced though Elisa, and she glared at him even as the tension left her body. "That was low," she pouted.  
  
"You've been talking about the Clan and Goliath for the past two days. I got tired of dancing around the subject."  
  
"Yeah , but not everyone is cool with the fact that I've fallen in love with a seven foot tall creature that isn't exactly human."  
  
"In case you hadn't noticed, Helena isn't your average human either," he reminded her. "You got a glimpse of what she's like when she slips into her Huntress mode. That's the person I met and got to know first." Elisa watched his lips turn up in an affectionate smile as he thought back to those first few meetings.  
  
"She was this mysterious, untamed woman who oozed confidence and sensuality like it was second nature. It was several months before I even saw the Helena side of her. She frustrated the hell out of me- still does- but I think I fell for her the first night we met. I love her for who she is.....both sides of her life."  
  
Elisa allowed a soft smile of her own to turn up her lips. "I fell for Goliath the first night we met too- only mine was a little more literal. It took us nearly three years to finally acknowledge our feelings for each other. I just wish life would slow down enough so we could explore our relationship a little better," she told Reese sadly.  
  
Reese blinked surprised. "You mean you two aren't...involved?"  
  
Elisa snorted. "Not that we haven't wanted to. But that would be a huge step for us, and we haven't had enough quiet time over the past few years to really get to that stage of the relationship yet," she told him wryly.  
  
"Huh."  
  
"See there you go with the 'huh' again. What does this one mean?"  
  
"Just that from an outsider's observance, you two look and act like you're married. Elisa I don't think there's much more you two can say or do to get to know each other better. Maybe you should think about what's been really holding you back," he told her seriously. Then he glanced around, noticed everyone was asleep or passed out and stood.  
  
"Looks like we can go sneak around now," he said as he held his hand out to help her up.  
  
She took it, not really hearing what he was saying, as her mind chewed on what he told her a minute ago. She tried to tell herself to let it go for now, she was too tired to really contemplate his advice and she needed to focus on the task at hand. But as they scouted around the desolate train yards and shipping docks, Elisa couldn't help but wonder if she was the one who had been holding up her relationship this whole time. 


	7. reconciliation

December 19  
  
Wayne Manor......  
  
Dinah practically skipped down the stairs to the Bat Cave. She had known about the cave since joining the team, but had never even set foot inside Wayne Manor until Dick showed up and offered to train with her. She knew that Dick and Barbara had a past – one that obviously hadn't faded much over the years. But she was seventeen, and was more than happy to settle for watching Dick's dreamy figure for several hours without being interrupted. Even if he was trying to wipe the mat with her body.  
  
Ever since the attack, things had grown so dysfunctional at the clock tower, that Dinah's training had grown....well boring. Helena had rarely been functional enough to handle training sessions, let alone go out on sweeps. Barbara had taken charge of Dinah's training, but as her own emotional deterioration began to eat away at her physical health, the workouts had become less challenging.  
  
Dick offered a fresh jolt of energy and challenge that Dinah had been reveling in the past couple of days. Today, he had promised to show her some basic gymnastic moves that he and Barbara had always found useful. He had also wanted to see how well developed her telekinetic abilities were. While she knew she had been lacking in some of the physical exercises, she couldn't wait to show off her 'other' skills. If she had improved beyond expectations in one area, it was definitely that. She spent countless hours by herself experimenting and honing her mental gift. Dinah doubted Barbara even knew just how adept she had become this past year.  
  
As Dinah came to the bottom of the stairs, she heard Dick's voice call to her from the training room. As she entered, she drew to a halt. There, balanced in a perfect handstand on the upper uneven bar, was the object of her teenage lust. His eyes were closed in concentration, and how long he had been there was anyone's guess.  
  
"You ready to get worked over again kid?" he asked without wavering.  
  
"I'm not gonna let you get away with beating on me today," she challenged back.  
  
An eyebrow quirked, even though his eyes never opened. "Oh is that so? Think you're telekinetic skills are that good huh?"  
  
"Why don't you come down here and find out for yourself?" she grinned as she tossed her bag off into one corner.  
  
"All in good time Baby Bird. But first ask yourself this, Can you maintain enough concentration to keep your focus, when you have other things trying to distract you?" To emphasize his question, he let his body swing downwards and around the bar twice before releasing his grip and tucking his body into a tight double flip. He landed perfectly on the mat, lifted his head and Dinah nearly gasped when she realized he had done the whole move with his eyes closed.  
  
As his eyes opened to meet hers though, she lifted her chin proudly and nodded stubbornly. "Like I said before, why don't you find out for yourself?"  
  
Dick chuckled, his eyes crinkling in amusement. "You've definitely been hanging around Barbara and Helena too long. Well before we get to the meta stuff, why don't I show you how to execute the maneuver I just demonstrated."  
  
Dinah grinned, looking forward to more hands on work with Dick Grayson.  
  
Clocktower......  
  
Barbara awoke to the sounds of Dinah leaving for her training sessions with Dick. A small streak of jealously ran through her, but she quickly squashed it down, chiding herself for the absurdity of such a thought. Besides, it was about time Dinah got some proper training. Rubbing tired eyes, Barbara rolled over and squinted at the clock. It was just after nine.  
  
The redhead closed her eyes and listened for any other sounds in the clock tower after Dinah was gone. Helena had actually come back last night, though she had never announced her presence. It was just one of those things where she lurked in a far corner, hidden amongst the shadows, wanting to say something, but not sure how to say it.  
  
Barbara pretended not to notice Helena's presence, though it took every ounce of self-control to accomplish such a feat. She knew that Helena was hurting, both physically and emotionally this time, and Barbara wanted nothing more than to call the young woman over to her and chase the hurt away like she used to. But too much had happened over the past year, and Barbara had cursed herself for helping to create the gap that had grown between them.  
  
For as tough and cocky as Helena was, she was emotionally vulnerable. Barbara and Dinah were the closest thing she had to family, and Barbara had been so wrapped up in her own guilt and remorse, that she had pushed Helena away- and perhaps over the edge.  
  
With the brunette looking on, Barbara finally powered down her computer, unable to focus any more. Her hand drifted by a picture of Helena, and she reached out to snag it. A soft smile touched her lips as she held it up, her finger gently tracing the smiling feline features. In the reflection of the glass, she saw the shadows shift, and watched as Helena almost moved out into the open. Then she had retreated and Barbara's face fell as she put the picture down.  
  
"I'm so sorry," she said in a choked whisper as she gave the picture one final stroke. With unshed tears in her eyes, she wheeled out of the control room to her waiting bed, and a stiff drink.  
  
There was no other sounds in clock tower now, but Dinah's unusual quietness suggested that Barbara wasn't the only one still sleeping. Reaching out, the redhead pulled herself upright and then slid off the bed into her waiting chair. She wrapped a wool blanket around her shoulders, and quietly headed out into the living room. There was no sign of Helena there, or the kitchen, or either of the bedrooms upstairs.  
  
Slightly disappointed, Barbara headed up into the control room to power up the monitors when she stopped short at the sight that greeted her. On the ledge across from her workstation, Helena was stretched out like a cat dozing in the sunlight. Barbara never understood how the young woman could fall asleep in the most impossible places, but it never failed to bring a soft smile to her face.  
  
Rolling over to the window, she reached over and gently ran her fingers through untamed brunette hair. Helena shifted, and nuzzled into the hand that soothed through her hair – a gesture she hadn't done in a long time, but touched Barbara to the core. A quiet sound, almost like a purr emanated from the younger woman as she stretched and then slowly opened her eyes to gaze up at her mentor and friend.  
  
Barbara's palm cupped the side of Helena's face as gentle fingers grazed across the bruised cheek and eye. The injury was minor though, most of the swelling already gone and the bruising beginning to fade. But Barbara said nothing about it, not wanting to push the young woman about what happened last night.  
  
Helena sat up, and Barbara's hands reached out to claim her own, prolonging the physical contact. Blue eyes dropped from emerald, and stared at the clasped hands for long minutes before Helena began speaking quietly. "I'm sorry I've been such an ass."  
  
"I'll only forgive you on one condition," Barbara told her seriously.  
  
Helena's eyes fixed on her once more with a look that said she would do anything. "I'll forgive you for being an ass, if you can forgive me for being such a bitch," she told her friend with a rueful half-smile.  
  
Helena blinked, surprised by Barbara's request, and her brows furrowed in confusion. "This case..... it's brought a lot of emotions to the surface for all of us. At first I was afraid of what might happen," Barbara admitted. "Then I realized that we aren't in this nightmare alone, and that's where I screwed up the first time."  
  
Blue eyes searched hers for further explanation, still confused. "Hel, I never blamed you for Wade's death. I blamed myself, and I shut you out because I was too busy beating myself up," she admitted hoarsely. "Then when you started drinking and skipping sweeps.....I blamed myself even more. Our whole world was falling apart by then, and I didn't know how to fix it." Barbara looked away, shame and despair causing long suppressed tears to well up.  
  
Helena looked at the floor, unsure of what to say. Every nerve in her screamed for her to run, but she had slept here for a reason. This conversation was long overdue, and there was no way she was about to run away from it once more. "It probably didn't help that every time you tried to reach out to me, I would snap at you or leave," Helena finally said guiltily. Her voice was rough with sleep and raw emotions. She had to clear her throat a couple of times before she could speak again. "Wade wasn't your fault Barbara."  
  
"Just like he wasn't your fault," the redhead stated firmly as her eyes bore into Helena's. It was the first time since the murder, that Helena had heard those words with sincere conviction behind them. In that moment, a weight started to lift from her soul. "We were victims of circumstance Helena. Some things are beyond our control, and that was one of them. What matters to me is that you and Dinah and Alfred are still here. I love you guys Hel ... I don't want to lose you," Barbara whispered, the tears finally spilling as her hands clutched Helena's tightly.  
  
Those final words undid the normally proud Huntress, and reduced Helena to a teary-eyed emotional mess. The two women clung to each other, finally letting tears of grief and anguish release in the wake of their soul-searching.  
  
An hour later, Helena lifted her head off of Barbara's shoulder, and shifted on the redhead's lap. In those first few rocky years, Barbara had often cradled the distraught teenager on her lap when things grew really bad. After awhile Helena grew out of the gesture, but there had been a couple of times Helena had sought the comfort of her lap. Like now.  
  
"So are we cool now?" she asked with a tenuous smile, fingers brushing away the last of the tears.  
  
Barbara chuckled, wiping her own face. "We're cool now," she repeated back, using Helena's phrase to reassure her even more.  
  
"Good, cause I was gonna have to kill Dick if this little talk didn't work out."  
  
"So you planned this huh?"  
  
"You didn't think I fell asleep on this ledge because it was comfortable now did you?"  
  
"So does this mean you and Dick are going to play nice from now on?" Barbara asked hopefully.  
  
"And spoil our game of trading witty insults and derogatory comments?"  
  
"I don't know what I was thinking," Barbara remarked dryly.  
  
"Must have been a lack of sleep. But I think a couple more hours in that nice big comfy bed of yours will cure that," Helena suggested as her hand reached out to turn Barbara's chair towards the door.  
  
"You know I hate it when you do that," Barbara huffed, trying to sound irritated.  
  
"Yeah, but it's been months since I've done that. I have a lot of 'bugging the hell out of you' that I have to catch up on."  
  
"Helena, I should really get breakfast going and do more research."  
  
"Come on. The kid is working out with your boyfriend- which I'm sure she'll drag out as long as possible. You have at least another three or four hours before she gets back, and you yourself said she should learn more about the Delphi. She can't do that if she's not here, and this case is giving her a chance to learn a lot of new stuff."  
  
Barbara thought about protesting most of what Helena said, but found that she couldn't argue with Helena's logic. Plus, as much as she hated to admit it, she really was still tired. "Fine," she sighed. "But only another couple of hours. I want us to be ready to go when she comes home. Besides you could use some brushing up on your own Delphi skills."  
  
"Fine, fine, now shut up and drive."  
  
"Lazy," Barbara teased as she headed back towards her room.  
  
"I'm just being energy efficient," Helena countered.  
  
Barbara just shook her head, and grinned, a wave of happiness sweeping through her as they slipped into their old mode of easy bantering. Once in the bedroom, Helena slipped off Barbara's lap and then turned to lift her friend out of the chair. With a gentleness that belied her true strength, Helena set Barbara down on the bed, and then crawled under the covers next to her.  
  
Rolling onto her side, Barbara pulled her friend close, and hugged the lanky form contentedly. Just as when she was younger, Helena relaxed instantly and was asleep within moments. As Barbara listened to Helena's quiet steady breathing, her own body relaxed for the first time in a year, and she sank into a deep peaceful sleep.  
  
Wayne Manor...................  
  
Dick Grayson grinned as he watched his trainee, successfully accomplish the task he had set before her. Thanks to some of her previous training, she quickly grasped the fundamentals of his instructions, and had the guts to attempt everything he asked of her. She had taken more than a few hard landings, but she would drag herself off mat and hit the bars again. Then about an hour into the training, something suddenly changed.  
Dick watched as she attacked the bars with fierce concentration, and landed every dismount perfectly. After half a dozen exercises, Disk narrowed his eyes. "Your cheating aren't you?" he asked finally.  
Dinah just blinked innocently at him. "You never said I couldn't use my powers, so technically it's not really cheating now is it? Besides you wanted to see what I could do," she shrugged.  
An eyebrow arched back at her, and then he gave her a wicked grin. "Fine, I want you to mimic what I was doing when you arrived," he challenged.  
And she was doing just that right now. Walking over to the wall, Dick opened a case and started pulling out an arsenal of practice weapons. "Doing good so far, but let's see how well you can multi-task," he warned, just as he began a full out assault on the inverted teen.  
Amazingly, Dinah managed to keep herself upright and deflect nearly everything that Dick threw or fired in her direction. Only the last batarang managed to strike her flesh, but with a grunt, she kept her focus on her balance. After several minutes, Dick finally stepped back, impressed by the blonde that was doggedly keeping herself in the difficult handstand. Her arms were beginning to tremble with the effort, and sweat was pouring down her face, but she kept her grip on the bar, and her focus on controlling her body.  
It was another five minutes before she finally ran out of energy, and lost her control with a painful gasp. Dick leapt forward ready to catch her, but she managed to rely on her physical training, and let her body swing around the bar and land in a stumbling dismount.  
Dick was there to help steady her and she looked up at him with a weary grin as she gasped for air. "So?" she asked, already knowing the answer by his own grin.  
"Babs has no clue as to how good you've become Baby Bird. She better watch out the next time you two spar, cause she's in for quite the surprise," Dick laughed, handing her a water bottle and towel.  
"Like I said before," Dinah told him after sucking down half the bottle, "It's been months since I've had a decent challenge from either of them, so I had to create my own challenges."  
"So what exactly have you been doing to fine tune that gift of yours so much?"  
"Started off with little stuff- moving small objects around my room. Graduated to heavier stuff, then multipal objects. Once I could control several things at once and size didn't become too much of a problem, I started working on complex controlling."  
"Complex controlling?"  
Dinah grinned and shrugged her shoulders shyly. "I don't even know if that's a real term, but that's what I dubbed being able to do control complex and minute tasks- like writing and typing."  
"You have enough control to write telekinetically?" he asked now very impressed.  
Dinah blushed. "Yeah, it's not like my normal writing, but it's pretty close."  
"What kind of range do you have?"  
"As long as I can see it, I can move it."  
"And the heaviest object you've lifted?"  
"So far, the Hummer. But don't tell Barbara that or she'll kill me. That thing is her baby, and she'd have a fit if she knew I had been practicing with it," the blonde snickered.  
Dick let out a full laugh, that made Dinah's heart flip-flop, and shook his head. "You really are as bad as Helena- you're smarter though. She always got caught," he chuckled. "Well I think I've tortured you enough today. Go hit the shower, and then we can head back to the tower."  
"Can we eat lunch first?" she asked hopefully. "Working my head this hard always leaves me drained and ready to eat an elephant." As if to back that statement up, her stomach rumbled loudly, causing Dick to laugh once more. He knew they should head back to the clock tower, very aware of her slight crush on him. But truth be told, he enjoyed her cheery company, and couldn't deny a starving woman a well deserved meal. "I'll have Alfred whip up some sandwiches or something."  
"I'll be up in a few," Dinah grinned happily as she tossed her towel over her shoulder and headed off towards the shower room.  
  
Clock Tower  
  
Dinah and Dick stepped out of the elevator, and looked around curiously. "You think they're still asleep?" Dick asked quietly.  
  
"I know Helena was here when I left this morning, and Barbara almost never sleeps past eight- even on her days off."  
  
They immediately headed towards Barbara's bedroom, and Dinah opened the door, not as quietly as she would have hoped. Two sets of eyebrows rose at the sight before them and Dinah's face broke out into a wide grin. "Awwwww, how cute," she whispered.  
  
While a small streak of jealousy ran though Dick, he too had to agree that the sight of Barbara curled up protectively against Helena was pretty endearing. There gawking however, finally broke through Helena's sharp senses. And she stirred in the bed, disturbing Barbara's sleep as well.  
  
Realizing that their presence was known now, Dick went over to Barbara and knelt on one knee next to her side. She rolled over, and cracked an eye open, trying to focus on her clock.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"A little past noon sleepyhead. Glad to see you finally got some decent rest," he told her with a gentle smile.  
  
"God it felt so good to sleep finally," she sighed contentedly.  
  
"Can we sleep for another year?" Helena mumbled as she buried herself deeper into the bed sheets.  
  
Barbara grinned, the first true grin Dick had seen on her face since arriving here, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Don't make me threaten to get the water bottle out," Barbara said in mock seriousness as she threw the covers back and slid into her waiting chair.  
  
"Why do you always have to be so mean?" Helena whined as she curled up into a ball and grabbed for the covers once more.  
  
"Why do you have to be so stubborn," Barbara retorted yanking the covers back again.  
  
Dick stood next to Barbara, watching the comical battle of wills with a grin. Helena finally gave in with a huff, and after a luxurious stretching session, finally rolled off the bed and stalked into the bathroom.  
  
Dick looked at Barbara, who had her head tipped back, and seemed to be drinking the peace of the moment in with a relaxed smile. Dick raised an eyebrow at her. "So should I start getting jealous?" he asked teasingly.  
  
"Dick!"  
  
He chuckled at her suddenly blushing face, and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry Babs, I just couldn't resist."  
  
"Once again proving that men always have their mind in the gutter," she stated with an air of superiority.  
  
"Glad to see you two worked things out."  
  
"Thanks...for your not so gentle pushing."  
  
"Anything for you Red. I'll go start some breakfast for you two."  
  
Five minutes later, Helena shuffled into the kitchen and dug in the refrigerator for the milk. With a sigh of relief, she leaned against the counter and downed half the carton without the aid of a glass.  
  
"Other people drink that milk too."  
  
"We're all family," Helena shrugged.  
  
Dick rolled his eyes and then smiled at Barbara who came rolling into the kitchen. He handed her a cup of coffee, which she practically drooled over, and went back to finishing up their breakfast.  
  
"Barbara you nurse that coffee like it was a fine brandy," Dick chuckled.  
  
"Jealous of the coffee now too?" Helena remarked slyly as she walked by Dick on her way to the table.  
  
Dick looked up, slightly embarrassed that she had overheard his comment. Then he shrugged. "At least I know the coffee won't try and compete with me."  
  
"Oh don't worry Dick, I have my sights set elsewhere now," she drawled casually as she flopped into a chair.  
  
Barbara shifted uncomfortably, and began to give Helena warning looks as Dick paused in his task of buttering bread. Helena looked at him innocently. "Besides, we were both plastered when it happened, and it was more of a fun romp between friends than a serious relationship."  
  
The knife clattered to counter as Dick blinked in surprise, and then he quickly fumbled to recover it. "That was a good one...you had me going there for a second," he said when he saw her eyes flash with amusement. Then he looked at Barbara who had her head in her hands. "You're joking right?"  
  
Helena just continued to smirk at him, and Barbara finally looked up to glare at Helena. "Babs?"  
  
The redhead looked at him, and actually fidgeted in her chair. "Dick...it's complicated....and we were drunk...."  
  
"Hey Dick, that smells great, do you have extra?" Dinah asked as she bounced into the kitchen.  
  
Dick started re-buttering the toast, Barbara fell silent and Helena continued to smirk. "Did I just miss something?"  
  
"Grown-up talk, kid."  
  
Dinah glared at Helena, who completely ignored the teen's look. "You just ate," Dick remarked, stalling an argument.  
  
"Yeah, an hour ago," she told him in a typical teenage tone that was meant to say 'duh'.  
  
"It's a good thing you don't get training sessions that intense- Barbara would be broke just from having to feed you."  
  
"So how did the session go today?" Barbara asked, relieved to move onto another topic.  
  
"Babs you would be pretty impressed with what this young lady can do," Dick answered as he dished out the food and brought the plates over. "I was very impressed myself...." 


	8. Longest day

December 20 3:00pm  
  
Aerie Building  
  
"Mr. Xanatos, Tony Dracon is downstairs requesting to see you immediately. He says it's urgent," Owen informed his boss flatly.  
  
David Xanatos slowly spun around in his chair to face the emotionless major domo, and raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Really? I was not aware he was up for parole."  
  
"After Detective Maza requested our assistance, I took the liberty in researching who her source may have been. It seems she visited Mr. Dracon only hours before she came to you."  
  
"Interesting," Xanatos mused as he sat back in his chair. "Word has it that Dracon has been in danger of losing his turf lately."  
  
"Indeed. His associate was nearly killed two weeks ago after a.... 'negotiations meeting' failed."  
  
"So he turned to the only person he could trust," Xanatos murmured.  
  
"Forgive me sir, but why would someone like Tony Dracon have any reason to trust the very person who put him in prison to begin with?"  
  
"Because he knows Elisa will go to almost any length to stop this threat. I've done a little investigating of my own and it seems our good Detective Maza and Mr. Dracon had a personal history together before he took over his father's business. I would venture to say that Mr. Dracon knows as much about Maza as Goliath does."  
  
"She has certainly proved her tenacity over the years."  
  
"And Dracon knows she has as much, if not more to lose than him. Go ahead and send Mr. Dracon up Owen. I'm interested to hear what he has to say."  
  
Ten minutes later, the crime boss was escorted into Xanatos' private office. "Will you be needing anything else sir?" Owen asked his employer.  
  
"I think we'll be fine Owen. Thank you."  
  
The blonde major domo left and the two men exchanged a long silent look. "Congratulations on your recent release Mr. Dracon," Xanatos finally said, breaking the ice.  
  
"From one ex-con to another?" Dracon asked with a sly smile as he relaxed back in the plush chair.  
  
Xanatos matched his smile and then stood waving to his extensive bar. "Absolutely. I believe a drink is in order. What's your pleasure?"  
  
"Whatever the man of the castle is serving."  
  
"Well then, I think the occasion calls for some of this," the billionaire stated as he raised a small bottle with a green tinted fluid inside.  
  
Dracon raised his eyebrow. "Isn't that stuff illegal?"  
  
Xanatos shrugged. "Perks of owning a multi-billion dollar company. The watchdogs are always so busy looking for the larger stuff, they overlook the small discrepancies," he admitted as he poured out a small amount of the potent alcohol into two tumblers.  
  
Tony took the proffered glass and raised it in a silent toast. "So Mr. Dracon what can I do for you?" Xanatos asked as he sipped his own drink.  
  
Dracon downed his drink in one gulp, let the fire race down his throat and savored the buzz for several moments for he finally spoke up. "We're both businessmen Xanatos, and as such I will respect you by being frank. We both know that if I resented Maza locking me up she would have been dead by now."  
  
Xanatos was silent for a moment and then nodded. "I'm aware of the fact that she pulled a few strings to get you out, but you of course realize that her...interests now lie permanently elsewhere," Xanatos began carefully.  
  
Dracon nodded. "Maza always was one for the unusual," he chuckled softly. Then he sobered some as he looked up at the man who was resting against the desk next to him. "I know that you've been keeping an eye out on her, and I thank you for that- even if she doesn't appreciate it."  
  
"My wife and I have come to realize that life would be dull without Detective Maza around. And she helped the Clan save our son, it's the least I can do after everything else I've put her and her family through."  
  
"Then I would be correct to assume that she came to you about the information I gave her about the guns?"  
  
"Reluctantly, but yes. She was smart to realize that this situation has grown far out of her own grasp and she would need help."  
  
"And right now, the cops are the last ones she can afford to involve. I figured she would swallow her pride once it came down to this. As much as she hates it, you and I are the only ones she can really trust right now to supply the resources she needs."  
  
"So you're proposing a joining of forces then?"  
  
"I promised Maza I would be there for her when the time came. I have business associates in New Gotham that have pledged their help to me because they are in the same boat as us. I don't know the details, but I do know that whatever happens is going to have to go down all in one night, almost simultaneously."  
  
"Fox spoke with Angela early this morning, it seems Elisa and another detective have been undercover for several days now working on a couple of leads and keeping surveillance of the docks and warehouses."  
  
Dracon smiled slightly. "So, she found Reese."  
  
"The other detective. You know him?"  
  
"Of him. I figured he and Maza would get to the bottom of this."  
  
"Angela says they've found a few other allies, but right now everyone is waiting for them to report back in tonight so that they can fill in the missing pieces."  
  
"One of the last reports I received, says that the Wild Cards plan on causing a disturbance somewhere in the city to distract the authorities. It's supposed to be big, and their target something personal to Maza. What do you want to bet it's the castle?"  
  
Xanatos frowned slightly. "This building has state of the art defenses, besides being guarded by a clan of fiercely protective gargoyles. They'd be foolish to try and attack us."  
  
"Pardon me sir, but Mr. Dracon may have been correct in assuming we are the target. I believe there is something you need to see," Owen stated as he walked into the room carrying a small security disk.  
  
Xanatos glanced at Dracon and then nodded for his aide to play the disk. The crime boss wisely said nothing as he watched Xanatos' eyes darken with anger. "What is his name?"  
  
"Lance Stifleman. He's been employed here for nearly a year sir."  
  
"And his job description allows him that kind of access to our security system?"  
  
"He is the Assistant Chief Security Analyst. He had all the proper security clearances for the position."  
  
"Then it seems we need to take a closer look at our background check procedures. Get him in a room, I'll be down in fifteen minutes."  
  
Owen nodded, took the disk and left the room without another word. "I'm not much of a computer expert, but it looked like you almost had a security breach on your hands," Dracon commented casually.  
  
"Which means we are the intended target," Xanatos admitted grimly as he settled into his chair and steepled his hands in deep thought.  
  
"So how are you going to handle this? If he disappears, his men will know something is up. But if you let him go then it could blow the whole operation," Dracon said as the silence stretched out for a couple of minutes.  
  
Xanatos thought about it for a minute more and then smiled darkly. "I'm a man of many resources- and few principals according to Elisa. I think it's about time we let R&D test their new memory altering drugs on a human subject after we question him a bit."  
  
Dracon chuckled. "Xanatos you are an ex-con after my own heart."  
  
"Shall we continue discussing your business proposal on our way down?" Xanatos invited as he stood and gestured towards the door.  
  
"If my presence isn't keeping you from too much work."  
  
"I believe this matter takes precedence over everything else, otherwise we may not have businesses to run in a week."  
  
Dracon frowned slightly and then nodded. "It's almost frightening to admit that is a real possibility. Who would ever think that the city's fate rests in the hands of two ex-cons, a handful of cops, a clan of gargoyles, and the local mob?"  
  
Xanatos smirked. "Maybe now people will realize we really are trying to be good citizens and help out the community like we're always saying." That earned him hearty laugh from the crime boss as he followed Xanatos towards the interrogation.  
  
New Gotham  
  
Same Day......  
  
Elisa woke with a groan, one that was mirrored by Reese. "God I can't wait to be back in a real bed," she mumbled quietly as she tried to blink away the remnants of her brief sleep.  
  
"And have real coffee," Reese added as he sat up and clapped his mitten covered hands together to try and warm them.  
  
"Amen." Elisa looked over at her new partner. "We're due back tonight."  
  
Reese sighed as his gaze drifted over to the couple they had been buddying up to the past few days. "It's now or never. We're gonna have to push them as hard as we can today."  
  
Elisa's eyes narrowed in thought and she smirked a bit. "I think I know a way."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Time for some girl talk," Elisa declared as she stood and shuffled towards the small cluster of people huddled around the morning fire.  
  
An hour later, Elisa was sitting on the top of an abandoned railcar with Susan, both nursing cups of coffee as they watched the sun climb higher in the sky. Susan glanced over at her new friend, sensing the woman wanted to talk, but perhaps not sure how to break the silence.  
  
"You look tired Lisa."  
  
Elisa blinked, and then nodded as a wry smile ghosted across her lips. "Haven't slept much lately."  
  
The older woman's eyes took in her companion's form closely though and saw much more than a few bad night's sleep. "No Lisa, you look TIRED...worn," Susan said quietly as she reached out and settled a hand on Elisa's arm.  
  
Elisa suddenly felt moisture spring to her eyes and looked away as she struggled to control the sudden swell of emotions that ran through her. The hand on her arm tightened in a comforting gesture and Elisa cleared her throat as she looked off into the distance. "I didn't always used to be like this," she began quietly.  
  
She heard Susan snort softly next to her and had to smile a bit herself, then the smile faded as she finally looked back at her new friend. "I used to enjoy my life. I had a job that I was good at, a normal family, and a home that I felt safe in. Then I met someone who turned my life upside down, and I fell hard for him that night we first met," Elisa said as a distant smile lifted her features a bit.  
  
"Do you regret meeting him?"  
  
"Hell no," Elisa stated adamantly. "If I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't change a thing. I mean, we've been on adventures that I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams. We've been through so much together and there's no one I love more. But things have been tough for both of us the past couple of years, and we've drifted apart. Mostly because of me.....I- I've been afraid I think...to commit to this relationship completely," Elisa admitted in a shaky voice.  
  
Susan contemplated this silently and then nodded. "It's hard to leave everything behind like you did Lisa. And I'm sure there are still those who are back there begging you to come back," she stated knowingly. "I guess the question is, do you trust him?"  
  
"Of course," Elisa answered quickly.  
  
"No Lisa," Susan amended as she reached out and tapped her fingers over Elisa's heart. "Do you TRUST him?"  
  
Elisa paused, closed her eyes and then nodded once, firmly. "He promised he would always be there to catch me if I fell," she said quietly. "He's always been there, and I know that he always will be."  
  
"Then you have nothing to be afraid of Lisa," Susan said warmly as she hugged Elisa's shoulders. "Love really and truly will always conquer all. What you two need to do is re-discover that first love, rebuild the fire."  
  
It was the opening Elisa had been waiting for. "How?" she asked plaintively, knowing Susan thought she had been talking about Reese the whole time. "I mean, there's little room for privacy around here, and it's not like it's safe to be out on our own these days."  
  
Susan patted her arm, eyes twinkling. "There's a spot Jerry and I sneak off too sometimes, when we need some quality time together. It's in the tunnels, but it's safe for short occasional visits. I'll go talk to Jerry, and see if I can persuade him into showing you and Jesse the way tonight after the sun sets."  
  
Elisa let her eyes widen in excitement and gave the older woman her best hopeful look. "You would do that for us?" she asked with the right amount of awe and excitement.  
  
"Sweetie, you two have been a breath of fresh air to us. It's the least we could do."  
  
"Thank you so much Susan. You have no idea just how much this has all meant to me," Elisa told her with complete sincerity. She had truly begun to question her relationship with Goliath after her talk with Reese the previous night. What scared her the most, was that it hadn't been the first time in the past couple of years that she had done so. But Susan had helped her to remember the fundamental reasons she had fallen in love with Goliath in the first place. The added bonus was that she was also giving her and Reese the break they needed.  
  
Manhattan  
  
8:00 PM  
  
"Bluestone, my office, now."  
  
Matt Bluestone sighed and shoved away the report he had been looking over as he obeyed Chavez' barked order. Inside the Captain's office he slumped into the chair across from her desk and rubbed his eyes tiredly.  
  
"Any word from Elisa?" she asked, dropping the authoritative tone.  
  
"Not yet. Goliath says she and the Detective she's working with up there are supposed to be reporting back in tonight around ten. He did say that the people they've been working with have been chasing a few good leads themselves and have supposedly discovered a few more things to help fill in the gaps. We should know everything by morning."  
  
"Well on top of everything else we're dealing with, I just found out Dracon was released today. How that bastard managed parole I have no idea- he wasn't even supposed to be up for it for another year minimum," Chavez fumed.  
  
Matt shifted in his seat, and suddenly found the objects on her wall interesting. Her eyes narrowed instantly and she leaned forward. "What?"  
  
"Huh?" he asked dumbly.  
  
"Don't pull that with me Bluestone. You knew he was getting out didn't you?"  
  
"Well, um...not this early," he mumbled uncomfortably.  
  
"Talk."  
  
Bluestone sighed deeply, and threw his hands up in defeat. "Dracon was Elisa's informant. He traded the info with one condition."  
  
"That he be cut a deal?"  
  
"Actually, no," Bluestone answered with a chuckle of disbelief. "All he wanted in return was for her to handle the problem herself."  
  
Chavez blinked and sat back confused. "But....why? I mean, why would he ask for her of all people?"  
  
Matt shifted in his seat once again, and cleared his throat. "That is a question I'm going to let Elisa answer."  
  
Chavez nodded and allowed that to slide, though she began to have a good idea of what the answer was going to be. She had after all been a fairly close friend to the Maza family. "That still doesn't explain how he got out."  
  
"Again, you will have to ask Elisa why, but she pulled a few strings to get him a parole hearing. I know his release may seem like another headache added to our problems, but Elisa swore to me that Dracon wouldn't be a problem if this happened."  
  
Chavez snorted. "Why because he gave her his 'word'?"  
  
Matt looked Chavez in the eye and shook his head. "C'mon Captain. You know as well as I do that if a mob boss makes a promise, he will keep it- good or bad. Besides, Tony has a lot at stake right now. He's in danger of losing his turf, his Lieutenant was nearly killed by this gang a few weeks ago, and his own men have become disorganized. He needs us right now, and the fact that he went to Elisa with his information proves he's not about to screw things up for us any more right now."  
  
Chavez sighed, sat back in her own chair and rubbed her temples. "God this city has gone to hell. We've got gun toting fanatics from New Gotham, ex-cons assisting the police, and the Mafia is actually going to behave themselves. When this is all over I'm taking a vacation to some far off uninhabited island."  
  
"I'm sure Xanatos could assist you with that," Bluestone said with a sly grin.  
  
"Get the hell out of my office before I shoot you myself," she growled at him as he ducked the pen that was thrown in his direction. Chuckling, Bluestone stood and turned to leave. Just as he turned the handle she spoke up once more, making him pause for a moment.  
  
"By the way, get some sleep detective. You look like hell, and I'm going to need you in top form in a few nights."  
  
"Yes ma'am," he replied with a weary salute before leaving.  
  
"Chavez chew you a new one again Bluestone?" another fellow officer asked as he passed by.  
  
"You know how she is, thinks I should be able to do all of Elisa's work too while she's gone on vacation," he shrugged. "Listen, I'm gonna grab a bite to eat across the street. If Chavez comes looking for me, can you tell her I went down to Records or something?"  
  
"It'll cost you a cup of coffee. With Maza gone, it seems no one else around here knows how to operate that damn machine."  
  
Matt grinned. "I think Elisa bleeds coffee, the way she drinks that stuff. She's gonna have a fit when she gets back and sees what Thompson did to her baby. You want anything in it?"  
  
"Just make it tall and as caffinated as they got."  
  
"No problem. Be back in a few," he said as he grabbed his coat and headed to the doors. Outside the air was crisp, and cold enough to burn his lungs for the first couple o f breaths. Jogging across the street, he ducked into the warmth of the diner that stayed open and busy twenty four hours a day thanks to Manhattan's finest.  
  
As he ordered a sandwich and the coffee's, someone bumped against him causing him to turn. He came face to face with Tony Dracon. The mob boss was wearing a long coat, with his hat riding low, and his collars turned up to help conceal his face.  
  
"Detective," he greeted in a quiet voice.  
  
"Are you crazy? Someone could see you," Matt said softly, as he turned away from the man and pretended to be scanning the menu while Dracon did the same.  
  
"Not too many of your brothers in blue here right now. Besides, I'm only here to give you a message for Maza because I'm leaving town tonight."  
  
"Wouldn't that be against your parole restrictions?" Matt mused quietly.  
  
"Only if I leave the state. I visited Xanatos today, I suggest you see him at your earliest convenience to have him fill you in. When you talk to Maza, remind her that I promised her all the help she would need when the time came. I'm planning on seeing to that personally. Xanatos will tell you the details of our agreement, but I wanted to personally tell you that I'm putting you in charge of my men."  
  
He felt detective jump slightly next to him and smirked. "What?"  
  
Dracon turned, and met Bluestone's eyes. "Glasses is recovering from his injuries and will be ready to aide you when the time comes. But he has already been ordered to follow your command. I'm entrusting you with my men's lives Detective, I expect you to respect that responsibility," Dracon said with quiet warning.  
  
"You realize the odds are not in our favor- even with your men. I can't guarantee their safety Tony- I can't even guarantee my own," Matt whispered tightly.  
  
"We are all fully aware of what's at stake here Detective. I'm merely requesting that you put aside our differences for now and show my men the respect they deserve when you deal them."  
  
The looked into Dracon's eyes and saw no veiled threats, hidden strings and nodded once. "Any man who is willing to lay his life on the line to go up against these lunatics has earned everyone's respect," Matt answered finally.  
  
"Here you go Matt," the woman behind the counted called out as she set a bag on the counter next to the two coffee's.  
  
"Thanks Emily," he smiled at her as he stepped forward to take the food. When he turned back, Dracon was gone. Hurrying outside, he saw the mob boss get into a waiting car. For just a brief second, he glanced back at Bluestone, and smiled. Matt knew the smile should have unnerved him. But given the circumstances, all he could do was give a brief smile and nod of his own before the car pulled away.  
  
As tired as he was, he felt a renewed sense energy rush through him. He was definitely going to head over to the Castle in a couple of hours. Hopefully by morning, they would all have a plan. New Gotham  
  
Clocktower 11 PM......  
  
Barbara glanced at the clock on her screen, and threw another annoyed glance towards the large gargoyle pacing around her computer banks. "You'd be doing the same thing if it were me you were waiting on," a sullen voice reminded her from behind.  
  
Barbara sighed in defeat, knowing that if Helena was even a few minutes overdue, she indeed would be fretting as much as the gargoyle was. So she tried raising one of the detectives once again. When there was no response after a two minute wait she was ready to send Helena down to the docks. Then her comms chirped and everyone's head snapped up.  
  
"Oracle."  
  
"Think you quite paging us for a few minutes?" Elisa whispered back anxiously. "Can't talk now, we'll contact you in another hour or so. Out."  
  
And then the connection cut. Oracle typed in a few commands to her keyboard, and frowned. "Well now we know why I couldn't raise them," she muttered unhappily as Helena came up behind her and glanced at the screen.  
  
"Damnit!" Helena swore. "They went into the tunnels!"  
  
"Are you sure that the computer has put their position in the right place?" Goliath asked tightly.  
  
More typing and then a curt nod. "Unfortunately yes."  
  
"I'm going down there," Helena ground out as she stalked towards the balcony.  
  
"Helena wait a minute," Dick said as he moved to block her path. "They're both seasoned cops, with plenty of undercover experience. No cop would go into a situation like that unless they knew that they could make it back out alive. If any of us go barging in there we not only risk blowing this whole operation, but we'll be risking their lives as well."  
  
"Get out of my way Dick," Helena growled dangerously at him as her eyes went feral.  
  
Goliath noticed the sudden change in the young woman's features and swiftly interceded. "Huntress!" he said a little sharper than normal to snap her out of the fierce emotions beginning to rage inside of her. "Grayson is right. This mission means too much to Elisa, to risk getting herself killed. She would not go there unless she had a way out," he said, agreeing with the young man she was about to maim. His own voice wasn't completely convincing however, and he could see the lithe brunette pick up on it. "However..." he continued quickly, "I see no harm in us heading down in that direction to keep an eye out for any signs of trouble. Should something go wrong, we can at least be nearby to offer assistance."  
  
That suggestion seemed to calm Helena down some, and Barbara gave the clan leader a look of gratitude as she nodded in agreement. "Keep your comms open so I can let you know when they resurface."  
  
2 am.......  
  
Barbara tapped her fingers restlessly on the desk as she watched the small dots approach the Clocktower. Reese and Maza had finally surfaced about a half hour ago and the rest of the group had quickly descended on them as soon as they were several safe blocks away from the docks and yards. And as expected, an argument had quickly broken out. It ended with Helena storming off, Goliath shortly following after her with a sighing Hudson in tow.  
  
Then Dick and Dinah started in on the weary detectives. But even though their lecture was far calmer, Reese and Maza had finally had enough. Reese finally snapped and told the two vigilantes to head back home and he and Maza would meet them there after they stopped by his apartment to grab some clean clothes.  
  
So all that was left for the Oracle to do, was watch the approaching blips and prepare herself for the approaching storm. It wasn't long before the trio landed on the balcony, and Barbara sighed knowing that Helena's mood wouldn't improve any time soon. Dick and Dinah were weaving their way home through Gotham's nearly empty streets with ease and would arrive in just a few more minutes. Reese and Maza however were taking their sweet time, and the redhead groaned knowing this was only going to make things even more tense.  
  
"I knew they were gonna be pissed," Elisa sighed tiredly as she slid into the passenger seat of Reese's car. Thankfully he had managed not to loose this set, and they could forestall the impending verbal battle a little while longer.  
  
"Pissed?" Reese chuckled. "More like furious. Better watch your back Maza, Huntress looked ready to rip your arm out of your socket and beat you over the head with it."  
  
"Yeah well Goliath was glaring at you like this was all your idea and I just went along for the ride," Elisa snickered back. Then she sobered and dropped her head back against the headrest as Reese fired up the car and cranked up the heater. Elisa groaned as she rubbed her eyes wearily with a grubby hand.  
  
"God this whole situation just sucks."  
  
"Tell me about it. There should be a law against having to deal with people when you're this exhausted."  
  
"Yeah. Especially when we hit them with what just went down back there."  
  
"Wonder what they found out while we were gone."  
  
"Hopefully enough to fill in the missing pieces of the picture. I should call Matt today too- see what's been going on back home."  
  
Several minutes later Reese pulled up to his apartment and looked around. "Think you're place is being watched?" Elisa asked, her own eyes scanning around the neighborhood.  
  
"Never know. Especially with Quinn. Your own mother wouldn't recognize you right now though, so I think it's safe to say you can come up," he chuckled as he looked the normally beautiful detective over.  
  
A minute later they were inside Reese's apartment, and he closed all the blinds before turning on the lights. "Make yourself at home. I'm gonna take a shower before I drive back over to the Clocktower."  
  
"Dirtbag," Elisa teased as she crossed over to the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets. Reese smiled as he heard her delighted sigh, quickly followed by the sounding of his coffee maker being readied for brewing.  
  
Reese shut the bathroom door, and quickly stripped out of the filthy clothes as the steam from the shower began to fill the small room. He hadn't realized how quickly he had grown used to the numbing cold until he stepped under the hot spray and nearly jumped out. The sting lasted for several minutes as he soaked up the warmth, and then groaned as he finally felt the chill leave his body. He wanted nothing more than to stand in that jet of clean water for an hour, but they still had a report to give, and he wasn't about to deny Elisa her chance to enjoy this small luxury while they still had some semblance of peace.  
  
He scrubbed off the layers of dirt, and then shut off the water. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he gathered up the reeking outfit and repressed the urge to shove it in the trash. Unfortunately, he may still have need of it. Stepping out into his room, he shoved the clothes into a large duffel and zipped it up quickly. Grabbing an extra towel, he walked into the front room and laughed when he saw Elisa nursing a large mug of coffee with a contented look on her face.  
  
He blushed when she raised an eyebrow and ran her eyes along his fit body. He tossed the towel at her in reply. "I've got some extra academy sweats you can change into."  
  
"I thought you were never going to offer," she grinned as she quickly set down her mug and headed for the bathroom. She paused at the door and flashed him a wicked smile. "You know this is gonna piss them off even more."  
  
Reese shrugged. "Helena has had this coming for months. Let them stew a bit- they weren't the ones out there freezing their asses off and playing around in the garbage for three days. Enjoy."  
  
Two minutes later he was rewarded by Elisa's own groan of pleasure as she stepped under the cleansing warm water. He poured himself a large mug of coffee, taking the time to savor the smell as he headed back into his room to get dressed and dig out some extra clothes for Elisa.  
  
"Where the hell are they?!" Helena fumed for the tenth time as she stalked past Barbara's monitors.  
  
"They're still at Reese's apartment," Barbara said as neutrally as possible. Silently she was getting annoyed. Were they trying to make Goliath and Helena more upset?  
  
"That's it," Helena growled as she spun and stomped towards the balcony doors.  
  
Just then the phone rang and everyone froze for a second. "Gordon," Barbara answered quickly. "I'm glad you called Reese, Helena was just about to head over there to make sure everything was ok," she said casually. Helena's eyes flashed and Barbara almost smiled, until she saw Goliath was just as angry.  
  
"Ah, I see. Well how much longer will you be?"  
  
"Tell him he had better get his ass over here now," Helena barked out loud, not bothering to hide the anger in her voice.  
  
"Ok I'll let them know. We'll see you in a few minutes."  
  
Barbara killed the connection, and looked over the tense group. "Reese said they both desperately needed a shower and they knew once they got here they wouldn't be given a chance to relax for a few minutes," she explained, looking at both Helena and Goliath pointedly. Both had the good grace to look at the floor, knowing that Reese was right.  
  
"He said Elisa was just finishing dressing and they would be heading over in about five more minutes."  
  
"A shower sounds wonderful," Dinah piped up into the ensuing silence. "Since we have a little while longer, I'm going to get cleaned up too. Be back down in a few."  
  
"Considering they did reek, can't say I blame them," Dick chuckled as he hopped off the counter he had been perched on for the past half hour. "Babs do you mind if I use your shower?"  
  
A strange look passed across Barbara's features, and then hesitantly she nodded. Dick was startled by the sudden hesitancy, but headed down the ramp towards Barbara's room before she could retract the approval.  
  
Grabbing his bag off the couch, Dick headed into Barbara's private living area and stopped short. He had been in Barbara's room a few times over the years, including that morning. But since Quinn's attack, she had shut everyone, including Dick, out of her life. He had not even noticed that the cheery decorations that had once adorned her bedroom were gone. The room he now stood in, represented everything that Barbara had turned herself into. It was stark and clinical, devoid of any feeling and warmth. Hopefully, with things now healing between Barbara and Helena, some joy would come back into her life.  
  
A small desk with a laptop rested against one wall, leaving only a bed and a small nightstand to occupy the spacious room. As he passed by the nightstand he noticed the room's only decorations- two small framed pictures. One of Barbara, Alfred and the girls, obviously taken before the incident with Quinn. The second was a snapshot taken some years ago, before she had been shot. Picking it up, Dick small fondly as he remembered the day this particular photo had been taken.  
  
It was almost ten years ago. He was Bruce's partner, and she had been working with them on a regular basis as well. They had just broken up a major crime ring, and Bruce had actually decided to take everyone on a vacation to Hawaii. They all got a chance to unwind, enjoy the more pleasant things in life, and grow closer to each other. Then they returned home, and things seemed to fall apart after that.  
  
Joker escaped. Crime rose. Bruce and Dick started to butt heads, and Barbara suddenly withdrew from both men for no apparent reason. At least at the time it wasn't apparent, Dick mused sadly as he set the picture down. Three years later, Fate had dealt them all a crushing blow. One that was threatening to consume them all once again.  
  
Dick entered the bathroom, amazed at the modifications Barbara had made. But still, it was merely functional. And a tad on the obsessively defensive side, he thought, as he noticed the security panels placed on each wall within arm's reach of the sink, toilet, and shower. Harley had gotten under Oracle's skin, and it was highly unlikely that anyone would feel safe while the psychopath still breathed.  
  
3:45 am........  
  
By the time Elisa and Reese stepped off the elevator, even Barbara's patience was worn out. As soon as the two walked into the room however, both Helena and Goliath went rigid. Goliath's eyes flared white, and Barbara watched Hudson grab the younger male firmly by the shoulder to hold him back. No one was able to catch Helena though as she slipped into Huntress mode, and advanced on Elisa quickly.  
  
Before anyone could move to intercept, Helena had Elisa pinned again the wall two feet off the ground. "Did you think I wouldn't know?" she hissed, nostrils flaring.  
  
"Helena!" Barbara barked out sharply as Dick and Reese moved to break the two apart.  
  
Elisa's hand shot up though, waving everyone - including Goliath - back. Then she calmly regarded the feral human threatening her. "He let me borrow his clothes Helena. Take another whiff, and then tell me what you don't smell," Elisa told the younger woman quietly. Over the past few days, Reese had told her a great deal about Helena's primal half and some of the augmented powers that came with it. She had actually half expected this kind of reaction out of her, given her volatile nature. Goliath's reaction however was more than a bit annoying.  
  
Huntress seemed to hesitate, and then finally leaned in to smell Elisa's scent more clearly. All she could detect was the faint odor from Reese's clothes, soap, and the lingering odors of the docks. No pheromones, no musk, nothing to even suggest Elisa had slept with her boyfriend.  
  
Elisa leaned forward as best she could, a rueful grin playing on her lips. "I'm still working on one guy Helena. I doubt I could even handle a second," she whispered. Helena's eyes shifted back to normal, and she shook her head a little, as if dazed by what was happening.  
  
The younger woman cleared her throat as she let Elisa go and stepped back. "Sorry," she mumbled quietly.  
  
Elisa shrugged as she straightened out her shirt. "An honest mistake that you weren't the only one to make," she said with a pointed glance at Goliath. The clan leader looked sheepishly at the floor, knowing that his own reaction had been quite visible to her as well.  
  
"Well then, shall we get down to business so we can all get some sleep?" Barbara asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "So what was so important down in the tunnels that you both felt it necessary to risk being caught?" she asked pointedly.  
  
"This," Reese said simply as he walked up to Barbara and dropped his small digital camera onto her console with a second memory chip. "Last night, Elisa and I were out on a sweep of the area when we came across a large number of unfriendly looking people sneaking into the tunnels through a cleverly disguised entrance. We laid low for a couple of hours and watched as over fifty people disappeared underground." Reese paused when he saw Dinah, Helena, Barbara, and Dick grinning slightly at him.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"Sorry, it's just that you're beginning to sound like us now," Barbara explained as Helena continued to smirk at Reese.  
  
"So were they coming and going?" Dick asked getting back to the report.  
  
"Mostly coming, but sometimes going. Not to say they aren't leaving by another route, but we decided it was time to start pushing this couple for what they knew."  
  
"So how'd you get underground without being detected?" Dinah asked curiously.  
  
"Susan- one of our contacts- and I got to talking girl stuff. She bought that Reese and I were husband and wife, and said that she knew it was hard to get some quite time together as a couple. Said she knew of a few places underground that were safe and comfortable for a little 'quality time' as she put it," Elisa chuckled.  
  
"So we asked them to show us the way. And when they made it clear that we were to steer clear of certain tunnels and areas we talked them into taking us to them."  
  
"How on earth did you do that?" Barbara asked surprised as she hit a key and began downloading the pictures.  
  
"Seems our couple has a penchant for a little adventure and excitement from time to time," Reese chuckled. "So we acted like a couple of kids who wanted to break the rules a bit and do something wild and they bought right into it. Then we stumbled across far more than we had expected," he added somberly as the Delphi beeped and images began flashing across the monitors.  
  
Barbara sucked in a sharp breath that warned everyone of the magnitude of that statement. Moments later everyone was huddled around the massive banks of computers staring at the screens. "Oh my god," Dinah breathed quietly.  
  
Barbara was typing away suddenly, and a small number blinked up in the corner of her main screen. "There are at least three hundred and twenty people in that room," she said flatly. These numbers were far more than they had been anticipating.  
  
"This man right here on the platform," Elisa explained as she pointed to a figure on the screen. "He's the ring leader. Made quite the impressive speech and got that little mob all fired up."  
  
"Reminded me of Hitler," Reese added grimly.  
  
Barbara began typing more commands into Delphi, and a small box appeared around the man's face as she plugged his image into the search database. "Did you hear anything he said?"  
  
Elisa slid a small tape recorder out of her pocket and set it on the table as she hit the play button. A chilling, almost maniacal voice filled the room as everyone listened in growing dread.  
  
"You have done well, and soon you shall be rewarded for your loyalty and hard work. Our brothers in Manhattan are steadily increasing their numbers, and our buyer is quite pleased with the trial runs there so far. So pleased in fact, he has thrown in an additional million dollars to our cause if our brothers kill just one gargoyle on the night of the attacks."  
  
An ear shattering cheer broke his speech and Goliath shifted suddenly. "The Clan," he whispered fearfully.  
  
"So, with that bonus in mind, we are asking for fifty volunteers to head to Manhattan to help with the diversionary attack on their home." There was a brief pause.  
  
"Every man and woman put their hand up," Elisa muttered darkly.  
  
"Our boss would be so proud of you right now. But we do have our own plans here to take care of, so I will leave it up to each team leader to send one man or woman from their group." Another dramatic pause.  
  
"Five more days ladies and gentlemen. By this time next week, we will have seized control of two major cities! We will have every major crime lord under our control begging to join us or suffer Quinn's wrath! We will have stricken fear into the hearts of all those who have dared to threaten us. Each of us have suffered at the hands of the law. A law that protects the rich and lets the poor suffer the blame. No more! In one week Quinn will be the law, and every man, woman, and child will be treated equally and justly! It will be a Merry Christmas indeed, for by New Year's WE WILL BE FREE!" The ensuing cheering was cut off and Elisa reached out to hit the stop button.  
  
Just then the Delphi's search program stopped and the man's image popped up on the screen with his history. "Jacob David Quinn, age twenty nine, only known family is his older sister...Harleen Quinn," Barbara read in shock.  
  
"She has a baby brother?" Helena groaned.  
  
"How could we have not known this before?" Dick asked in shock himself.  
  
"Because he's supposed to be dead. According to the official police records, he was killed over ten years ago in a police shootout while trying to help the Joker escape from Arkham. Several officers stated he had been hit multiple times in the chest, before falling off the cliff and disappearing into the ocean below. No body was ever found, but the amount of blood indicated that there was no way he could have survived."  
  
"Never say a man is dead until you have his body on a slab in the morgue," Dick sighed.  
  
Helena stared hard at the screen suddenly and Barbara felt her tense. "What?" she asked turning around to look at her younger partner.  
  
"Nothing," Helena mumbled. But her white knuckled grip on the edge of the desk, told Barbara otherwise. Now was not the time to press it though.  
  
"So Harley's younger brother has been running things for her while she's been locked up. He's also the real one running the Wild Cards in Manhattan, and Xanatos had better be ready for a fight on Christmas."  
  
"Yeah and whoever their benefactor is, seems to have a grudge against the gargoyles," Reese commented with a sympathetic look towards Elisa and her friends. "Now all we need to do is figure out who that is."  
  
"And that's where Dick and Dinah came in," Barbara answered as she began typing once more. "I got all the files I needed, and have complied a list of eight men who have either quit or been fired at Davis this past year. I think we all know which one fits the bill of the mysterious benefactor."  
  
Elisa sucked in a sharp breath, while both Goliath and Hudson let out growls of anger. The Birds were facing one of their worst enemies, and so were their comrades from Manhattan. "Damnit!" Elisa swore violently as she spun and kicked a trashcan startling everyone.  
  
"If I hadn't sworn to Jason that I wouldn't shoot his brother at first sight, that man would have had a bullet in between his eyes by now," she ground out.  
  
"J.C More. We were daft not t' figure it out before," Hudson grumbled as he put the pieces into place. "Once the lad gets his hands on these guns, there'll be no stopping him. He'll continue his family's blasted Hunt until every last one o' us is dead."  
  
"We have to warn the Clan and Xanatos immediately. If the castle is targeted, the Clan will stay to defend it."  
  
"Which leaves us with problem." Dick started to pace around the room, deep in thought. "The attack is meant to keep the Clan busy so they can't interfere with the delivery. Canmore himself is supposed to be there for the shipment, along with Quinn's right-hand man in Manhattan. When the shipment doesn't arrive, they'll know something happened and disappear. We are dealing with overwhelming odds here and they'll have to be dealing with the same thing there. If they divide their forces, there is no way anyone will stand a chance at getting Canmore and rounding up the Wild Cards."  
  
A sullen silence met that statement, and then Elisa pulled out her cel phone. "Xanatos is the sneakiest bastard I know. The man has eyes and ears everywhere, and I'm sure he started checking things out the second I left his office," she explained as she hit a button on her phone and waited for a response.  
  
Xanatos groaned as his slumber was disturbed by his phone ringing. It had been a long night, and he had an important meeting later that morning. His wife cursed quietly from amidst the satin sheets, and he picked up the offending machine. "Xanatos."  
  
"It's Maza."  
  
"Detective do you realize what time it is?" he sighed. "I do have an empire to run while I'm not busy saving the city.  
  
"I've been up nearly three days straight mucking around in Gotham's filth while you've been sitting on your throne in your squeaky clean castle, so spare me the drama. We've got a problem."  
  
"So I hear," he said with glimmer of his smug grin. He knew she hated it when he found out things almost as quickly as she did. And by the clipped tones, she spoke to him in next, he knew she was fuming.  
  
"So?"  
  
"Canmore seems to be displeased by the fact that I helped the Clan out during that little incident at the cathedral."  
  
"Should I even ask how?" she sighed.  
  
"The usual route of course. Canmore is still quite the businessman, and a businessman's favorite weapon is corporate espionage. It's become quite the game between Ms. Destine and I over the past several years. Owen weeds out at least one mole each month. This month's however, revealed quite a bit more than expected."  
  
"Does Canmore know you're onto him?"  
  
"The man was questioned this morning with the help of some drugs, and then left back in his office where he awoke and thought he had just dozed off for an hour. He has no idea that we are watching his every move now."  
  
"Were you able to get any details out of him?"  
  
"Some. He's not one of Canmore's followers, more of a mercenary with special skills in computer hacking and weapons programming. Seems he was hired by Canmore to hack into the Aerie's defense system and cause it to fail at the right time. All we could get out of him was when and how many. He has no knowledge of the shipment or even the fact that his mission is merely a decoy."  
  
"Can you handle a sizable attack without the Clan?" she asked with some disappointment.  
  
"Owen is handling everything. Don't worry about us detective, you're the ones who have the task of seizing five thousand guns with only a handful of help. Now get some sleep, you sound like hell."  
  
"Thanks," she replied half sarcastically.  
  
As he set the phone back in it's cradle, Xanatos chuckled softly. "David?" his wife asked sleepily.  
  
"I do believe we are starting to grow on her. She actually called to give us a heads up and make sure I was able to handle the situation."  
  
"Don't be kidding yourself," Fox mumbled. "She just wanted to make sure that their plans weren't about to go out the window."  
  
"True, but she didn't tell me to go to hell when I made that last remark," he remarked, grinning into the dark.  
  
"She's just too tired to make a come back. I'm sure she'll make up for it when this is all over with. Now shut-up and go to sleep."  
  
"Your wish is always my command love," he murmured as his eyes began to drift shut, still grinning smugly.  
  
"Xanatos says Owen is taking care of things."  
  
Goliath actually smiled a bit. "Do you realize what that probably means?" he asked he suddenly.  
  
"Not really wha-" then she stopped as her tired mind tried to decipher what Goliath was thinking. "You don't think..."  
  
"Oberon's decree left that loop-hole. With Alex in danger, Puck will have free reign."  
  
Elisa's face finally split into a huge grin. "As much as I hate that damned elf, I could almost hug him right now," she breathed in relief.  
  
Ever since hearing those chilling words spoken back in the tunnels, Elisa had feared for her friends and family in Manhattan- even Xanatos. But if Owen was truly going to handle things as Puck, then she doubted one window would be broken on the Aerie.  
  
"Puck? As in Shakespear's Puck?" Dick asked skeptically.  
  
"It's a long story, and I'd love to explain after I get some sleep. Let's just say that I don't think we'll have to worry about what's going to happen in Manhattan now."  
  
Barbara looked from one weary face to the next and decided everyone needed a break. They had gathered and pieced together much of the missing information. Now all that remained, was for them to figure out how they were going to take on an army of at least three hundred strong. "I think we all need to take a night off from this to unwind. We have a lot of planning to do now, and tired minds won't get us anywhere."  
  
There was a collective sigh of relief from everyone, and tired smiles all around. "Nice work, you guys," Dick complimented as he clapped Reese on the shoulder.  
  
Everyone broke up into small groups then, and Goliath immediately went to Elisa's side. She instantly took an annoyed stance, tapping her foot on the ground as she crossed her arms. "I can't believe you even thought that," she told him in a hurt tone.  
  
"Elisa, his scent was all over you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted like that. It's just that it's been so long...." He trailed off looking at the floor not knowing what to really say. Not that they had even really gotten anywhere as a couple anyway.  
  
Then he noticed that her expression had changed and that she seemed to be fighting a grin. He raised an eyebrow and she finally chuckled. "You're too damned cute when you're being sheepish," she told him shaking her head. "How can I stay mad at you when your wings and tail droop like that?" A massive yawn caught her suddenly and Goliath was surprised to hear her jaw pop from the intensity of it.  
  
"You should get some sleep," he told her affectionately.  
  
"I need to call Matt first, see if he's been able to dig anything up on his end and catch him up with everything we found out."  
  
"Then you will rest," he insisted firmly. He reached up to run a talon through her hair, allowing himself to revel in the silky sensation. "It will be good to take a break and spend some time together finally."  
  
Elisa smiled softly, agreeing with him, and gestured for him to lean down. He did, and she pressed a chaste kiss to his jaw as she leaned towards his ear. "I expect you to make up for your little jealous act," she told him in a husky tone that sent a jolt through his body.  
  
His tail lashed suddenly and as he looked at her, his eyes flared briefly. "Be careful what you ask for Elisa. You might get more than you expected," he growled back softly, surprised by her sudden forwardness.  
  
"That's what I'm counting on," she said with a rakish grin and then sauntered away from him, with more swing in her hips than normal.  
  
Helena was talking to Reese, when Elisa walked by her and she stopped in mid-sentence. Before she even realized what was going on, she felt her body shift.  
  
"Helena?" Reese asked, finally reaching up to touch her when she didn't respond. Something about Elisa walking by them, had distracted the lithe brunette. Now she was glancing wildly around the room, her eyes coming to rest on Goliath's form. The gargoyle was staring after his human paramour, with lust in his eyes, and his tail swishing restlessly along the floor. Then he gave an agitated snort, and exited the room as he folded his wings about himself. Hudson was off to one side, chuckling in amusement after having watched the whole exchange.  
  
"Helena," Reese tried again, his grip on her arm tightening. When she turned back to him, he was surprised to see her eyes in their feral form. Whatever had happened between Goliath and Elisa, was now affecting her own heightened senses.  
  
"My room in five minutes," she whispered to him tightly as she slipped out of his grasp and then stalked off to her bedroom.  
  
Reese stared after her suddenly retreating form, arousal and exhaustion warring within him. "She still pissed at you?" a voice asked him from behind.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Reese turned around to see Dick nodding towards the stairs. "Helena still reading you the riot act for going into the tunnels?"  
  
"Uh no not exactly," Reese chuckled. He cleared his throat and looked around. "She just ordered me to her room in five minutes," he confided nervously.  
  
Dick's eyebrows rose in surprise and then he chuckled. "Well never keep a lady waiting detective. Especially one that can kick your ass with one hand tied behind her back and blindfolded."  
  
Reese nodded, still a little overwhelmed and began to move off to follow Helena. "Oh Reese just one thing," Dick called out as he moved over to the darker man. "Even if she does hate my guts, she's still my kid sister. Break her heart and she won't be the only one you'll have to deal with."  
  
Reese blinked at the cliché brotherly warning and then laughed. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that with me Grayson. It took me awhile to get over how much it hurt to have her shut me out like she did last year. But I realized she just needed some time to sort things out. I'd have waited ten years if she needed it."  
  
Reese turned to leave, but then he looked back at the shorter man. "I think you of all people would know what I'm talking about," he said with a pointed glance towards Barbara. Then he turned and left, leaving Dick to stand there and contemplate his words.  
  
Dinah walked past him and hugged him goodnight, as Hudson retreated out onto the balcony for a couple minutes of peace with Goliath before the sun rose and locked them into their stony slumber. Barbara began powering down the Delphi, and rolled her neck around as she tried to relieve some of the tension.  
  
Dick moved up behind her, and began to massage her tense shoulders. Her head dropped forward immediately, and she was unable to clamp down on the moan his gentle ministrations produced. Dick felt his heart jump a little at that small noise, and smiled to himself. "You are way too tense Gordon," he told her softly.  
  
"It's been ages since anyone's done that," she admitted with a hiss as he found a particularly nasty knot and began working on it.  
  
"Well I can't do this properly here. Let's get you into your room so I can give you a real massage."  
  
Her head lifted instantly, and he felt her tense. "Oh come on Babs, we used to do this for each other all the time," he sighed. "This isn't some plot I hatched to get you into bed with me...ok so you'll at least be on the bed and I'll be next to it," he said in his best boyish voice.  
  
It worked. She relaxed and even chuckled a little. "You'll never give up will you?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Trying to get into your bed?" he asked playfully not wanting to scare her off with any straightforward, heavy emotional admissions. "Hell no. You showed me paradise Babs, and nothing will ever be as good."  
  
"Oh please...that was years ago. Things are...different now," she said in a suddenly sad voice.  
  
Wanting to keep the mood light, Dick leaned forward and whispered into her ear in a sexy voice. "Yeah, your hair is longer and sexier. You know just about everything, which can only be good for me. Your breasts are fuller, and your ass-"  
  
"Dick!" she gasped, caught between being embarrassed and flattered by what he was saying.  
  
"If you let me give you that massage I'll shut up," he teased.  
  
"How can I resist an offer like that," she said finally, cheeks warm from blushing, and maybe a little arousal. She tried to clamp down on the feelings he was causing to resurface, but in the end she decided she was too tired to fight them.  
  
Screw it, she thought to herself. I've been moping around here long enough. If Helena can crawl out of her funk and Dick can continue to hang his heart out there for me, I can enjoy life too. I won't become like Him. I won't let Quinn defeat me like this, she swore adamantly.  
  
Minutes later, she was on her bed, her body relaxing under Dick's skilled fingers. Like a true friend though, he didn't push her for anything more. Merely covered her up when she fell asleep and then curled up next to her, still fully clothed, to keep away the nightmares. 


	9. No Tomorrow

Ok just a note of thanks to those who have read and reviewed my story so far! So I've been toying with the idea of whether or not to throw in this chapter and get into some romantic stuff, and thought what the hell. It was fun to write, so I hope you enjoy it. Definitely some mature themes in this chapter and a little language as well, so all of those easily offended or of an inappropriate age please skip this chapter!

December 21

"Are ye sure our presence here won't be a disturbance lass?" Hudson asked warily as he eyed the elevator Helena was pointing to.

"Hudson trust me. This is probably the safest place you guys could hang out. It's a secret club that only us freaks know about…and maybe a couple of our closet friends," she grinned. "Now get your tails down there while the coast is clear."

With that order she dropped off the rooftop, and punched the code into the panel by the door. It slid open, and she held it as Goliath and Hudson dropped down from above and slipped inside. She raised an eyebrow as she realized just how much space the two gargoyles took up. "There's no way I'm gonna miss the look on Gibson's face when he sees you two walk in, so suck it up boys."

Downstairs, Gibson was nervously pouring Reese and his companion their second round of whiskey shots. Dinah had shown up with her friend Gabby, but she seemed to be ignoring the fact that the detective was sharing drinks with a woman other than Helena.

Several minutes later, the elevator opened up to reveal Helena and two other hulking creatures that brought all activity to a halt in the club. Gibson knew his jaw was practically laying on the bar, but he didn't know what frightened him the most. The fact that Helena was here while Reese was drinking with another woman, or the two things that had just stepped off the elevator with her. Then she turned in his direction, a wide smirk on her face, and he finally managed to close his mouth.

"Helena?" he squeaked out.

"Gibson, I'd like to introduce you to Goliath and Hudson. They are a couple of the gargoyles who live in Manhattan. It appears you have already met Detective Elisa Maza," she said casually as she waved to the woman next to Reese.

Gibson blinked, looked at Reese's companion who was grinning at him, then over to the two gargoyles, and then back to Helena. Finally he gave up trying to think and just smiled in relief. "Always a pleasure to host any of your friends my dear Huntress," he replied as he poured a double shot of vodka for his favorite patron and then looked at the two accompanying her.

"Gentlemen, do you have a favorite choice of poison that I may serve you on the house as a welcome to my humble establishment?"

"Would ye have a good scotch on hand lad?" Hudson inquired, relaxing as the crowd went about its business once the introductions were done.

"Only the best good sir, and you sound like you would know. And for you?" Gibson asked of the lavender giant next to Hudson.

Goliath was quiet for a moment and then he too seemed to relax, and smiled slightly, careful not to bare his fangs. "Perhaps a dark ale of any sort."

"Room or cold?"

"Room temperature would be preferable."

"A man after my own heart," Gibson smiled as he quickly produced the requested beverages and pushed them towards the new trio. Then he turned to the woman who had been keeping Reese company. "Detective Maza, it is a pleasure to formally meet your acquaintance."

"Nice to meet you too Gibson. Helena, Dinah and Reese have told us a lot about you and this place. I have to say that this is one of the nicest private clubs I've been too."

"I try to run a tight ship here. A little bit of everything for everyone," he said with a gesture around the large underground club. There were some pools tables, video games, sitting areas, and even a fairly packed dance floor. "No Man's provides a safe place for people like us to hang out and be ourselves."

Elisa looked around wistfully. After the initial startled response from the crowd, everyone had returned to their own business with only a couple of interested looks in the gargoyle's direction. "Wish we had a place back home like this."

"Actually, you do," Gibson told her surprised. "I have a couple of friends down in Manhattan who own clubs like this for metas. Before you leave I'll give you their addresses and the codes to get in. They'd get a kick out of having you guys show up one night."

"Thanks, I think we'd like that," Elisa said with a look over at Goliath who grinned and nodded in agreement.

"Shall I keep the tab open?" Gibson asked Helena who merely raised her eyebrow.

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Just don't break anything this time," Gibson teased her lightly as he moved off to serve another customer.

"So Hudson," Elisa began as she downed her whiskey and hopped of the barstool. "Care for a pool rematch?"

"Aye lass, and this time it's ye who had better watch out," Hudson chuckled as he set down his own empty glass and cracked his knuckles.

"Ooohhhh gramps is talking smack," Helena snickered as she claimed the vacated barstool next to Reese.

Elisa merely smirked as she walked over to an empty pool table and picked up a cue. "Care to make a bet on that statement?" she asked boldly as she began to rack the balls.

"What did ye have in mind lass?" Hudson replied confidently as he picked up and checked his own cue. He should have been worried by her suddenly wicked grin and the mischievous gleam in her eye.

Wayne Manor…….

"This place looks great Alfred," Barbara complimented as she wheeled through the ground level of the Manor.

"Thank you Miss Barbara. Although I must admit that I cannot take all the credit. Mister Goliath and Mister Hudson proved to be quite diligent workers, even if they weren't skilled in the finer arts of housekeeping," he told her with a amused smile.

"Given their sizes, I doubt dusting the china would have been a safe task," Barbara laughed.

"On the contrary Miss. They have superb dexterity, it was just a matter of instructing them on how to go about their tasks. But I didn't subject them to too many delicate tasks."

"Admit it, you just didn't want anymore claw marks in the wood and marble," Dick teased.

"I merely felt they were better suited to the tasks that needed to be accomplished in the cave. It seemed they enjoyed their time down there much more, and they were able to easily accomplish things that would have taken me days to finish."

"They did have fun down there," Dick admitted. "Hudson said it reminded them of the bluffs they used to live on back in Scotland before the humans settled there. And both of them were fascinated by all the toys down there."

"So what's on the menu tonight Alfred?" Barbara asked as rich smells began to fill her nose.

"A surprise Miss Barbara," the aged butler answered with a warm smile. "Now if you and Master Dick will settle yourselves in the dining room, I shall begin serving dinner."

"Wow, the formal dining room," Barbara chuckled as Dick opened the doors for her.

"I know it's been awhile since you've had a nice dinner out, so I thought you might enjoy a little spoiling tonight," Dick grinned at her.

"Only if you promise not to sit at the other end of the table. I don't want to have to break out the comm units just so we can carry on a conversation," she chuckled.

"Don't worry, Alfred placed the settings at one end- together."

"So do you know what he's cooking?" she asked, tantalized by the strong aromas coming from the next room over.

"Only the best for you Babs," was all he gave up as Alfred entered with the first course readied on a silver tray.

No Man's Land…….

Helena was impressed, which was a rare thing. After Elisa had soundly beaten Hudson in a game of pool and made him lead the entire crowd in a YMCA dance, she went on to party like there was no tomorrow. Which given their circumstances, was possibly true. The detective had pounded back another shot of whiskey, hit the dance floor for awhile with Dinah, and then returned to the pool tables where she was hustling drinks out of everyone that challenged her. She was now nursing her fourth beer, and holding her own against Helena who was the pool queen of No Man's.

The only drawback to Elisa's steady consumption of alcohol- not that it was necessarily a bad thing- was that her inhibitions were virtually non-existent now. The evening had started out with her discreetly flirting with Goliath. But as the evening had progressed, so had her bravado. Dinah didn't help matters when she and Gabby encouraged the detective onto the dance floor with them and requested a couple of extremely suggestive songs.

All propriety had gone downhill after that, and Goliath wasn't the only one who had noticed. Now, halfway through their game, Helena was beginning to regret challenging Elisa. Elisa was obviously fully aware of what she was doing to Goliath, and was enjoying every slow teasing moment. The problem was that her scent and actions were wreaking havoc with the Huntress side of Helena's personality and the younger woman was beginning to feel her control slip.

The tension finally snapped when Elisa took a swig out of her bottle, and then with her eyes glued to Goliath's, slowly ran her tongue up the side of the bottle to catch an errant drip. Goliath's eyes flared white, and Helena could hear the low rumble that came from his chest as his scent slammed into her full force. Her own control fell away, and she nearly ripped the table as she badly missed the shot she had been taking.

Elisa glanced over at her with a smoldering smirk, and then walked over to line up her own shot. Huntress allowed her to lean over the table to take her shot and then surged forward to trap her prey. Several feet away, three males all too aware of what had been going on, watched the scene tensely. Elisa froze as Huntress trapped her body against the pool table, but she wasn't afraid.

"Elisa," Huntress growled in her ear, causing a shiver to run through her body. "If you don't get out of here right now and finally get laid, I might just loose all control and do something that will get both of us in big trouble with a lot of people."

Elisa turned her head to look into the feral eyes that were centimeters away from hers. Then she looked over to where Goliath sat, and gave him a smile full of desire and promise. "If you insist," she told Helena quietly as the lithe woman backed off and let her up. But before Elisa left, she couldn't resist whispering something positively indecent to the brunette on her way by.

A pool cue snapped, and Elisa merely chuckled as she quickly grabbed Goliath's hand and dragged him towards the elevator. The last thing either of them saw, was the Huntress standing there, mouth agape, and quivering with surging emotions as Reese approached her cautiously.

Wayne Manor…….

Barbara reclined on the massive couch against Dick's chest and closed her eyes in contentment. Alfred had retired for the evening and they lay cuddled in the living room before the large fireplace that filled the room with warmth and soft light. "That was absolutely wonderful," she sighed happily.

Dick was quiet for a minute, enjoying the moment as he gently ran his hand through her auburn hair. "Alfred really outdid himself tonight," he agreed finally.

"I think he actually enjoyed being able to put on a fare like that. It's been awhile since he's had the chance to show off his culinary genius."

"I have to say I haven't seen the old boy as happy as he was tonight when you nearly cried over the dessert he made."

Barbara peeked an eye open, and reached up to poke him in the forehead. "I didn't that emotional over it," she protested.

"Oh Alfred…it's so beautiful! How can you expect me to eat something so lovely!" he mimicked.

"At least I savored my meal, unlike some people," she retorted as she folded her arms over her chest in a mock pout.

"I enjoyed my meal…just a lot quicker than you," he chuckled.

Barbara smiled at the feel of his chest rumbling under her head and closed her eyes once more. They lay there for awhile, before Dick finally broke the silence. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Just remembering when we used to sneak down here and do this when Bruce wasn't around," she admitted quietly, with a distant smile.

Dick grinned, thinking back to those days. "He always knew though."

"And yet he never said anything."

They were quiet for a minute more and then Dick spoke up again. "I think, it was because he didn't want us to be like him," he said quietly. "He was always hard on us, and I think that was the reason why. He knew we couldn't be like him- to let love go- and because of that it made us more vulnerable than him."

"Guess in the end we were wrong about that though- he had never really let her go," Barbara whispered, thinking about Bruce's disappearance after Selina had been killed.

"I don't believe it though," Dick stated firmly.

"What?"

"That loving someone makes us vulnerable."

Barbara was quiet for a long time, and he could feel the tenseness in her body. Then, finally, "Why?"

"After we went on that trip to Hawaii, Bruce began to ride me like I was some novice. It wasn't until after Selina was killed I realized why. He realized how much I loved you Babs, and it scared him to think of what it would do to me if I lost you."

"Dick…"

"Shhhh," he soothed as he placed a finger to her lips and looked down into her emerald gaze. "Let me say this. I don't want to be like him, and keep those feelings locked away as something to fear. You make my world a brighter place Barbara Gordon. Even when I've been at my lowest, just thinking about you brings a smile to my face. And then when you were shot…." Barbara felt him draw in a shaky breath as his eyes closed in pain. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. But when I came back to find that you had created a new identity for yourself, and you didn't let that monster beat you…" he faded off shaking his head. "You are the strongest person I know, and you make me strong. I go out there every night and think of you Babs, because I won't go down without a fight. I know you've been through hell this past year, and I know you need time, but I'll never stop loving you - you're my reason for living."

Tears streaked down Barbara's cheeks, and she felt him gently wipe them away. Her hand reached up to capture his own, and she swallowed around the lump in her throat. "That is the most beautiful thing anyone's ever said to me," she told him in a trembling voice.

"I meant every word I said."

"I know…which is what makes Wade's death harder to take." She saw the pain flash in his eyes and she moved her hand up to cup his face. "Wade died giving me everything his heart had to give, but deep down, I never stopped loving you."

"Why? Why won't you let me in Babs?"

Barbara closed her eyes as she drew in an unsteady breath. "Because I was afraid. I was afraid of going through what Bruce went through, and…of…of how you would think of me after I was shot," she admitted finally.

Dick sat up suddenly, and she would have been dumped on the floor if he didn't have a firm grip on her shoulders. "How could you even say that?" he asked hurt. "Damnit Barbara I did everything I could to show you I didn't think any less of you just because you were in a wheelchair!"

"Dick, please, you have to understand," she begged him looking away ashamed. "I don't blame you for not being there after I was shot, but you have no idea what I went through those first few months. If it weren't for Helena, I would have been street pizza within days of going home. Everything I had once been was gone. I would never be able to leap off a building and feel the wind in my face. I would never be able race across the rooftops at night. I would never feel a lover run his hands down my legs. I'm not a whole woman anymore Dick," she practically sobbed.

Dick just stared at her, his blue eyes clearly conveying the emotions warring in him. Then he looked down and sighed. "I'm sorry… I never understood until now just how you felt. But that doesn't change how I feel Barbara," he reaffirmed. "As for what Bruce went through-"

"He lost it because he never came to terms with his love," she said cutting him off. He quieted and she took a few calming breaths and looked back up at him. "I've come to terms with a lot of things these past couple of days, and I've begun to understand why Bruce went over the edge. I don't want to be like him either Dick, but I'm scared."

"I'll always be here for you love," he promised wholeheartedly.

She gave him a tenuous smile as her hand reached up to smooth through his dark hair. "You always have been. Even when you were on another planet, you were still here," she said bringing her free hand up to her heart. He looked at her, uncertain of what to say, so she leaned forward and pressed her lips lightly to his.

"I'm still scared," she whispered as she pulled back a bit to look into his captivating gaze. "But I'm willing to start over again if you'll promise to be patient with me."

"I'll wait until the end of the universe if you need it Babs. Just promise to never shut me out again."

"Never again," she swore as she leaned into him once more. "But I just asked for you to be patient…it doesn't mean you have to wait anymore."

It was all the permission he needed as his lips claimed hers and he began to tenderly awaken feelings and emotions she had shut out for so long.

No Man's……..

Hudson raised his eyes from the pool table to see a human female of perhaps forty, picking up an abandoned cue. She gestured to the table and smiled. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.

The elder gargoyle glanced around to see that only Dinah was left and shrugged. "Loser buys beers," he invited.

"Done enough dancing tonight?" she asked with a hint of teasing humor in her light eyes.

"Aye," he chuckled. "I'll ney be hustled like that again."

"Well just about everyone here knows your name now," she said with a gesture to the crowd. Then she held out her hand in an introduction. "I'm Katrianna, but my friends call me Ice."

Hudson gently took the proffered hand to be surprised by two things- the surprising strength behind that grip and the chill he felt seep through his thick skin. His face must have shown his surprise and she grinned.

"I take it there's more to your nickname than meets the eye lass."

"Let's just say it isn't any kind of reference to my personality."

"Interestin'. It's amazing t' see all of ye in one room. We've run across Oberon and a number of his kind over the years. We had no idea just how many part-Fey there were runnin' about."

She paused in racking the balls and looked up at him in surprise. "Oberon?"

"Aye, the King of the Third Race. Every story has some bit o' truth in it lass, and ye and ye friends here are livin' proof o' it."

She cocked her head to one side and gave him a look of disbelief. "You're trying to tell me that Faeries are real?"

"Would ye have believed gargoyles were real if ye had never met us?" he posed.

She thought about that for a second and then smiled. "You have a point there. Who goes first?"

"Lasses first."

"Lass….now there's something I haven't been called in years," she laughed. She aimed, broke the formation, and sank two solids."

"Nice break, I'm glad I didn't make any more serious bets tonight."

"Trust me, that was lucky. I watched you and Elisa play earlier, and you'll have me beat in no time flat. So rumor has it you are over a thousand years old."

They talked for the next couple o f hours, alternating between games of pool and relaxing in the sitting area. Dinah finally came up, her friend Gabby in tow. "Hey Hudson, we were about to head home. I guess everyone else has ditched us."

"Aye, Elisa finally stopped tormentin' Goliath and left a few hours ago. Reese and Helena left shortly after that."

"Gee I wonder why?" Dinah snickered. "Are you gonna be okay if we take off?"

"Don' worry about me lass, I think I can find my way back," he said with a wink.

"I'll keep him company Dinah," Rose told the young woman with a smile. "You know how much of a history buff I am and Hudson here is Historian's dream come true. You two go have fun, and say hello to Barbara for me."

"Thanks Ms. Davis."

Rose arched an eyebrow and Dinah giggled. "Sorry…habit. Thanks Rose," she repeated using a less formal name for the older woman.

"Get out of here you two- just try not to get into too much trouble."

They exchanged knowing looks, giggled and then left before they had to explain themselves. The two adults watched them leave and Rose smiled. "It's good to see her smile like that again."

"She's got a lovely air about her tha' one. She's the balance in their Clan."

"The light to their dark. It's amazing she can still smile after everything that's happened to her though."

"She's got the heart o' a warrior she does," Hudson agreed. Then he sobered as he thought about the coming nights. "I just hope that heart will keep her alive for a long time to come."

Rose looked sharply at him and frowned. "So your visit here isn't just social then," she stated more than asked. She had already explained that she knew about Helena's alternate identity as Huntress and about the Bird's nighttime activities. She was also well aware of the situation in Manhattan, and had recognized Elisa immediately.

"I wish I could say yes," Hudson sighed as he downed the last of his beer. "Elisa received word that a large number o' those blasted guns was going to shipped from here on Christmas Eve. We only have three more days to figure out how we're goin' t' stop that shipment from reaching Manhattan and catch the ones behind this."

"What kind of numbers are you looking at?"

"I've been in a lot of battles lass, but we'll need more than just a little luck if we are t' win this one," he admitted.

She was quiet for awhile, and then stood offering him her hand once more. "It's getting a bit hot in here for me. Care to join me for a breath of fresh air up on the roof?"

"Sure lass," he said accepting her hand, once again feeling the chill in his skin that sent a tingle all the way down to his tail.


	10. New Recruits

(A/N: Thanks to all of you who have been following my story and have sent me emails or posted reviews. Several of you have stated that you never watched gargoyles, so I'm trying to take you into consideration when writing the rest of this story. So for all of you garg fans out there- if I seem to be writing about things we already know about...its to help everyone else understand a little of the garg history and story. If any of you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me! Thanks once again and I hope you enjoy. As always Gargoyles and BOP are not mine, I'm just borrowing them. RM Bachnick)  
  
December 22  
  
Wayne Manor Sunset.......  
  
Goliath broke free of his stone casing and smiled as he inhaled his mate's scent immediately. His mate. He turned around to face her, a loving smile gracing his normally stern features. Finally, after all these years, she had given herself to him completely and willingly. She was returning his smile with a shy one of her own, and he noticed her slight blush.  
  
"Hey Big Guy," she greeted warmly as she stepped forward.  
  
"Elisa," he murmured as he opened his arms to pull her in gently.  
  
They stood that way for several minutes, happy to enjoy the simple quiet moment in each other's arms before he bent his head to gaze down at her. "Are you all right my love?" he asked with some concern, his mind still fresh of the previous night's passionate mating.  
  
She shrugged, a bit stiffly he noted, and continued to smile. "Just a few scratches and bite marks that'll heal quickly. Nothing I didn't mind receiving," she answered huskily as she pulled his head down for a reassuring kiss.  
  
"And your head?" he asked with a teasing glint in his eyes as they finally parted.  
  
"I hope the man who invented aspirin was given a Nobel Prize," she chuckled. "I think the worst casualty of last night were my clothes, but Alfred somehow had them replaced while I was asleep this morning."  
  
"He is a man of many talents."  
  
"Pretty spry for someone his age too," she agreed. "Well the others have headed over to the Clock Tower. Let me get my hat and gloves and we can head over there as well."  
  
"Elisa," Goliath began, stopping her before she left. When she looked back at him, he moved back over to her side. "Elisa, about last night-"  
  
She smiled softly at him and placed her fingers against his lips. "Shhhh," she hushed quietly. "I may have been drunker than a skunk, but I remember. And the answer is yes." She paused when she saw the look of complete and unconditional love, fill his eyes. "I've done a lot of thinking this past week, and I realized that there's no one else I can imagine spending the rest of my life with. I was afraid, but then I realized that during everything I've had to face these past six years...you've been there by my side supporting me all along. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out," she apologized softly.  
  
"There's nothing to apologize for Elisa. You've sacrificed so much for the Clan and I over these past years- I will never be able to repay you for everything you have given us."  
  
Her lips twitched up in the smirk he loved so much. "Well I can think of a few ways you could try," she suggested.  
  
His eyes flashed briefly and then he laughed. It was a carefree laugh that rumbled up from deep within his chest. "My love, when this is all over with, I plan on doing just that," he promised in a deep voice that sent chills along her spine.  
  
"Come on Big Guy, we'd better get out of here, before we end up getting distracted. I promise we'll talk about this more after we make it through this mess. Now let me get my gloves on before my fingers freeze off," she smiled at him as she slipped inside to retrieve the rest of her protective clothing.  
  
Half an Hour Later at the Clocktower.......  
  
Barbara glanced around the room and saw a noticeable change in the group. Despite the deadline and the grave situation their small group was faced with, it seemed as if a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders. Barbara shook her head, amazed at just how overwhelming emotional baggage could be. Now that everyone seemed to have mended fences and overcome personal dilemmas, they all appeared ready to focus on the task at hand and move on with life.  
  
"So did you come up with a plan yet?" Helena asked as she slouched on the couch next to Reese.  
  
"Well Dick and I have a rough idea of what needs to be done, be we felt it would be best to consult with everyone. Timing is going to be everything, and we need to have the right people in the right places. Here's the schematics for the docks and train yards and the surround area," Barbara answered as she typed a few keys and the largest monitor began displaying the area.  
  
"I made it three-D so that I could also program in what we knew existed beneath that area in the way of tunnels, sewers, and abandoned shafts. Reese, Elisa if you have anything else to add let me know. Ok, let's walk through the night according to what we've found out-"  
  
"And I see this is the reason why my daughter has been too busy to return my phone calls," a new voice spoke out as everyone turned to see Alfred escorting Jim Gordon up the stairs.  
  
Barbara looked at her father surprised and then gave him a sheepish smile. "Um, hi dad. Sorry about that."  
  
Gordon walked over to his daughter and leaned over to give her a kiss on the forehead before straightening and looking over the assembled group. "Well quite the little party you have going here sweetie. Let me guess, Manhattan's gun problem just became New Gotham's."  
  
Barbara grinned and shook her head. "You're too smart for your own good old man," she chuckled.  
  
"Old man," he grumbled in mock indignity. "I may be old, but my eyes are still good enough to recognize Detective Maza when I see her in person."  
  
"Was it the gargoyles that gave me away?" Elisa chuckled as she stepped forward to shake the ex-Commissioner's hand.  
  
"Well that might have been a small clue. I may be retired, but I still keep a sharp eye on what's going on in the criminal world. Seeing the lead detective on that gun case showing up here in New Gotham unannounced and undercover doesn't bode well. Especially when you've got all the extra muscle combined in one room," he remarked as he looked at Goliath, Hudson, Dick, Dinah, and Helena.  
  
"Dad, Elisa brought Goliath and Hudson from the Manhattan Clan," Barbara introduced.  
  
"You're the leader of the Clan correct?"  
  
"Aye, and Hudson here was the previous Clan leader and my mentor. It is an honor to meet you Mr. Gordon. I have heard much about you from Elisa and Detective Reese."  
  
Gordon chuckled. "The pleasure is all mine. Imagine that," he said grinning over at his daughter. "I managed to shake hands with yet another living legend. Speaking of which. Ladies it's good to see you again, and Dick, this is a pleasant surprise."  
  
Dick smiled, as Barbara's father hugged him affectionately and grinned happily. Barbara tried not to look exasperated when she caught the glance her father gave her. "Good to see you too sir. Just wish it could be under better circumstances," Dick answered sobering up a bit.  
  
"Yes, well when Barbara doesn't return my phone calls for a week, I figured I had better check and see what she had gotten herself into this time. Please, don't let me interrupt. It looks like I showed up just in time to catch all the details."  
  
"Well, Elisa followed a lead up here that said the guns were being manufactured here in New Gotham and a shipment of five thousand guns would be leaving via train around midnight, Christmas Eve to be sent to the buyer in Manhattan."  
  
"Key players?" Gordon asked his daughter.  
  
Barbara hesitated for a second, cleared her throat, and clamped down on her emotions. "On our end, it's Quinn and her presumed dead baby brother. Their backer in Manhattan is Jon Canmore. His family have been on some sick quest to eradicate the gargoyle race for generations."  
  
Gordon drew in a sharp breath and frowned. "We are dealing with some seriously demented people here. They have everything to gain and nothing to lose, which already makes them the most dangerous breed of criminals. I looked over Canmore's file once a few years ago when they thought he was hiding out up here for awhile. He's young, powerful, and charismatic. It was no surprise that he swayed so much of the public to his side as the leader of the Quarrymen."  
  
"Yeah well baby Quinn seems to be quite the motivational speaker too," Helena commented from the couch. "The two of them could probably start their own little Reich if their ideologies weren't so different."  
  
"And if they were to pull off this whole operation, whose to say they wouldn't figure that out in short period of time," Barbara speculated with a shudder.  
  
"So how do you plan on stopping them?"  
  
"The guns are being manufactured down here in this area of the old tunnels," Barbara answered returning back to the images on the screen. A button click and another section was enlarged. "This second larger area here will most likely be used as a staging area since it's close to the main surface entrance next to the newer tracks. The train is expected to leave at midnight and at average speed, should arrive in Manhattan somewhere around three a.m."  
  
"Do we have any specs on the train they'll be using?" Reese asked.  
  
"Technically, there is no train running that night at that time," Barbara answered typing a few keys on another keyboard. "But there is one that will be unloading earlier in the afternoon, and isn't scheduled to leave for another day. Nothing spectacular about the train, standard freight and engine. But there are several switch points along the route, and a train can only make it to Manhattan if those tracks have been programmed by computer ahead of time. So far, I'm not seeing anything in the Rail Transportation Database, so Quinn may be waiting until that day, or even that night to set up the switches."  
  
"What kind of odds are you looking at?" Gordon asked his daughter.  
  
There was a long drawn out silence, as even she hesitated to answer. "Last count, over three hundred."  
  
"With that kind of firepower?!" Gordon asked drawing back in shock. "Are the police being brought into this?" he asked looking over at Reese who shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"Harley has too many eyes and ears. They won't be brought into it until everything is already going down."  
  
"On Christmas Eve, that'll mean you won't have back up for at least fifteen minutes and it will take SWAT and Special Teams half an hour minimum to arrive," Gordon calculated unhappily.  
  
"We don't think they'll be armed with many of those guns," Elisa interjected. "We saw only half a dozen of the guards armed with them, and it appeared that they were a bit pressed to make their deadline. Their most vulnerable point is going to be right as that train leaves. Everyone will be busy trying to mop up, and the guns will be out of their grasp. I think we should try and hit them then."  
  
Everyone chewed on that for a moment and then there were agreeing nods all around. "Well, I sure as hell am not going to stand around a let you eight be the only 'we' in this picture," Gordon spoke up firmly.  
  
"Dad-"  
  
"Don't you even start with me Barbara," he countered quickly.  
  
"Aye, I was goin' to talk to ye about that lass," Hudson said speaking up for the first time. Everyone looked at him curiously, Goliath especially.  
  
"I passed some time with an acquaintance o' yours last evening, a lass by the name o' Katrianna. She had some very logical arguments about drawing on some of the other 'talent' ye have in this city of yours."  
  
"No way," Barbara said firmly. "I will not recruit untrained metas for a mission as dangerous as this."  
  
"I said the same thing at first. But then she reminded me tha' if we fail, what good would our sacrifice have been? Quinn knows about these halflings an' their powers, an' will hunt every last one o' them down. Hell, tha' Canmore lad would probably lead her damned crusade."  
  
Barbara frowned, not having thought about that possibility. "While I am not eager to bring in untrained innocents either, Hudson does have a point," Goliath agreed reluctantly. "Canmore's family has spent generations trying to rid humanity of anything they consider a monstrosity and an aberration. Jon Canmore thrives on hate, and will most likely find some other group to attack if he were to eradicate our race. If these untrained metas as you call them, have powers that can help us, and they are willing to take the risk, then I do not feel we should deny them this chance to protect their future, because it will be the only chance they'll have."  
  
Barbara looked at Dick who shrugged and then over at Alfred who nodded. "This goes against everything that's been ingrained in me, but you have some very sound arguments. I'll agree to this, but on two conditions. First any meta who volunteers, HAS to have an active power. People like Gibson would be completely defenseless if they got into a hand to hand fight with any of these lunatics. Second, they will only be used on the perimeter and as last resort backup. None of you can afford to head into the lion's den with a rookie by your side, distracting your attention."  
  
"Sounds reasonable to me," Elisa said nodding her head. Looking around, everyone seemed to be in agreement, but Jim Gordon raised one finger.  
  
"Back to what I was saying, I'm not about to sit this one out either. And being Commissioner, I also have a few old friends that I can add to our numbers as well. And none of us are rookies, so there is no chance in hell you kids are gonna leave us out of the action," he said with a firm look at Dick.  
  
The vigilante held up his hands in defense and chuckled. "Don't look at me Commissioner. She's the one who will give you a fight on that."  
  
"Thanks Dick," Barbara muttered sarcastically. "But contrary to popular belief, I've learned that it's best not to argue with you anymore, because even if I had Dick tie you to a chair, you'd somehow still manage to show up and get in the middle of things anyway. This way, I can at least fit you with a comm and transmitter so I can keep an eye on you."  
  
"And you too, can share the experience of having Barbara in your head everywhere you go," Helena grinned.  
  
Gordon eyed his daughter with mock suspicion, and narrowed his eyes. "She's been trying to get inside my head all her life," he teased.  
  
"And then she looked in the mirror one day and saw the light," Dick snickered.  
  
Gordon laughed, Barbara glared at Dick, and most everyone fought to hide their grins and chuckles. "So let's get back to how we're going to take this crew down," Barbara announced in her Oracle voice, even though deep down she was pleased to see the group molding together so well.  
  
December 22  
  
New Gotham Arkham Asylum  
  
"Remember to wear the contacts at all times. Last bastard that felt it wasn't necessary, ended up being taken away in a straight jacket himself."  
  
"Don't worry, I'm well aware of the danger Miss Quinzel presents," the visitor answered with an almost amused smile.  
  
"Miss Quinzel," the guard snorted.  
  
The younger man turned to the guard and gave him a look that sent chills down the guard's spine. Flustered, the guard backed out of the room quickly muttering something about duties to attend to. The young man took a seat in the metal chair that was bolted to the floor and waited for his sister to be brought out.  
  
Several seconds later she appeared- escorted by six burly men, and locked up tighter than Hannibal Lechter. Their eyes locked, and she merely reflected his amused grin, as her escort settled her into the chair and locked her feet to the floor and then cuffed both hands to the counter allowing just enough movement for her to pick up the phone receiver.  
  
They backed off several feet, but stayed close enough to jump in if she decided to try something. All of them looked like they hoped she would. Harley reached forward and picked up the phone and smiled at her brother.  
  
"Looks like you've made a hell of an impression," he chuckled.  
  
"They just aren't fans of my work," she sighed dramatically.  
  
"I heard your last visitor didn't like the contacts."  
  
She made an excited noise and clapped her hands. "You should have seen it sweetie. The man was like putty in ten seconds flat. I doubt the doctors here will ever help him regain his sanity. Poor dear just didn't realize I was serious about taking care of people who like to steal from me. But enough about me how are you doing?"  
  
"Wonderful. Making lots of new friends."  
  
"And business?" she asked with an excited gleam in her eyes.  
  
"Couldn't be better. I have a pretty demanding boss though," he told her with a teasing grin.  
  
"She must be a real bitch," she purred back.  
  
"Some people think so," he chuckled.  
  
"So tell me, will you be free on Christmas Day?"  
  
He nodded. "No problem. By the way Christine starts a new job tomorrow. She's dying to meet you by the way."  
  
"Your girlfriend is a fan?" Harley asked excited.  
  
"Borders on obsessive, almost makes me jealous."  
  
"Oh goodie," Harley clapped. "I gets so dull around here with just all this muscle to keep me company."  
  
"She's gonna bring you your Christmas present."  
  
"You know security will have a field day with that. They may not even allow it."  
  
"Trust me, it won't be a problem. By the way, I'll see you on Christmas Eve."  
  
Harley frowned. "But my dear aren't you working that night?"  
  
He grinned. "Yes. But I know there are three special ladies you would like to visit badly. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't make that possible for you."  
  
Harley's eyes lit up with anticipation. "My birds! How are they doing? Terribly I hope?"  
  
Her brother grinned darkly. "Falling apart at the seams last time I heard. Dumb broads didn't even move," he snorted shaking his head. "Ah I see Tiny over there is about to cut our conversation short. Christine will be by shortly and can tell you more about it."  
  
"Christine?" Harley asked, cocking her head to one side perplexed.  
  
"All part of the surprise my dear. Now just remember to bide your time and not get greedy. I'll see you soon."  
  
"I hate it when you leave me in suspense like this," she pouted. But he saw the wicked gleam in her eyes that gave away her anticipation. With another chuckle he hung up the phone and watched as her escort moved in to take her away with extreme caution.  
  
December 23  
  
Manhattan 2am  
  
"Robyn."  
  
"Mmfffff"  
  
"Robyn wake up."  
  
A groan met that statement and the young blonde woman finally cracked open her eyes, trying to bring her clock into focus. "Damnit Jason, just ' cause ye can't sleep doesn't mean the rest of us can't," she grumbled.  
  
"Robyn I found him," Jason Canmore told her urgently.  
  
That sent her sitting upright and wide awake in two seconds flat. "Ye found him?" she gasped.  
  
Her oldest brother merely nodded, and even in the near darkness of her room, she could read the grim expression on his face.  
  
"He's gone mad Robyn, an' we have t' help stop him. 'Twas bad enough that he started up that bloody Quarrymen group. Now he's mixed himself up wit' these damn guns. This is all my fault," Jason sighed, dropping his head into his palms with a groan.  
  
Robyn reached out, and pulled her brother's wheelchair forward. "Jason, ye have t' quit blaming yuirself for our little brother's actions. If anyone is t' blame it's our damn ancestors for startin' the damn Hunt in the first place. But Elisa helped us t' see that we were wrong. We were able t' change, and Johnny was there with us when we saw what Goliath and his Clan did to protect the human race from Demona. Now his anger and power have corrupted him as much as it corrupted her."  
  
Jason sighed and shook his head. "We have t' stop him Robyn. I won't let our family name be tarnished anymore than it has."  
  
"An' we can't allow this Hunt to passed onto any more generations," Robyn agreed gravely. A deeply sad look passed between the siblings and Jason bowed his head.  
  
"Is this why you asked Elisa not t' handle Jon if she saw him?" Robyn asked quietly.  
  
"He is our brother, an' as eldest Canmore 'tis my responsibility ta see tha' we take care o' our own problems," Jason answered, his Scottish brogue thickening with his emotions.  
  
"We should still contact Elisa and let her know what we've found. She will understand and less questions will be asked."  
  
"Aye," Jason agreed, a wistful look crossing his face at the mention of the woman he had fallen in love with several years ago. "Come take a look at what I've found, an' then I'll call her. We don't have much time from the looks of things."  
  
December 23  
  
No Man's Land New Gotham mid afternoon  
  
Elisa looked over the sixteen men and women who had volunteered to join in the fight. She leaned closer to Reese and muttered her surprised approval. "How'd you guys manage to round up this many metas willing to join a suicide mission on such short notice?"  
  
Reese shrugged. "Most of them feel this is the least they could do since the girls have saved their lives on at least a couple of occasions. The rest are just looking to be able to flex their meta muscles a bit. As for short notice...well Gibson is like Oracle when it comes to anything meta. The man quite literally has a perfect memory and knows everything about every meta he's met. He drew up the list and made the calls."  
  
Although the young man had been forbidden by Oracle to be involved in any of the fighting, she had graciously allowed for him to host the impromptu meeting. The small group was milling around sipping on non- alcoholic drinks and snacking on sandwiches while waiting for Barbara and the girls to arrive. The group quieted when the elevator opened to release Helena, Dinah and Barbara.  
  
Gibson offered the three women a beverage while everyone began to settle down on the various chairs and couches. Barbara chatted idly with Gibson for a minute, stalling for a little while longer before she finally broke the silence.  
  
"First of all, I want to thank all of you for coming here on such short notice. And Gibson I would especially like to thank you for your extra hospitality. Now, I am only going to say this once, and I cannot stress how crucial this is. What we are about to discuss, cannot and will not leave this room or this group. All I'm going to say to start with is that we are about to undertake a task that is extremely risky and highly dangerous. Once you hear what we have to say, you cannot discuss it with anyone until after this whole mess is done with. There will also be some things revealed here that can NEVER be shared with anyone outside this group. So if any of you don't think you can handle that kind of pressure, or you think that you may be in over your heads, feel free to leave now. There will be no shame in backing out, all of you were asked to come here with a minimal amount of information. Most of you don't even have any kind of experience with this kind of thing and we are about to ask a great deal of those who decide they want to stay."  
  
She paused and looked the group over. No one made any movement to get up and Barbara took a hopeful breath. "Last chance." Still, one moved to leave. The redhead allowed herself a grateful smile before sobering. "Some of you are aware that Helena, Dinah, and I work as a team to help fight crime here in New Gotham. The work we do is very much what Batman, Robin, and Batgirl did for Old Gotham. In their absence these past several years, we have taken up the fight. While our actions have not been sanctioned by the police, you can see by the presence of Detective Reese, our assistance is unofficially welcomed. It is my understanding that a number of you met Detective Maza and her companions the other night." Several chuckles met that statement. "The gargoyles also 'assist' NYPD with their nightly patrols of Manhattan.  
  
"We all know that Manhattan has been under attack the past few months by a gang that has gotten their hands on a very nasty gun. The weapon discharges a bullet that is tipped with a C-4 compound. Though it is a small amount, the resulting impact will blow a six inch wide hole through a three inch steel plate. Right now there appears to only be a couple of the guns in the hands of this gang, but Detective Maza recently found out that five thousand more are about to be shipped to Manhattan and asked for our help."  
  
Someone whistled when they heard the number, and then a throat was cleared as another spoke up. "Five thousand guns? They planning to take over New York?"  
  
"It's actually worse than that," Elisa answered grimly. "A man named Jon Canmore is funding the production of these guns. He is an anti-gargoyle fanatic who has been a thorn our sides for several years now. He was the founder of the Quarrymen, and managed to slip away before we could arrest him. I have no doubt he plans to use those guns to try and wipe out the entire gargoyle race. But his Hunt will most likely not stop there."  
  
"After we started investigating this, we realized Quinn is the mastermind behind all of this. Thanks to her presumed dead younger brother, her crime organization has grown substantially despite her incarceration. They needed the right buyer and Canmore was the perfect candidate. He's young, charismatic, wealthy, and is not afraid to kill a few people in the name of a cause. Quinn knows all about metas, and will more than likely try to persuade Canmore to include your group in his genocidal hunt. He'll have enough guns to turn this entire country upside down in a matter of weeks, if not days."  
  
"So what's the plan?" Katrianna asked, breaking up the silence.  
  
"The guns are supposed to be shipped from the train yards by midnight tomorrow. We will strike just after the shipment leaves, when their guard will be most relaxed. Those trains are going to be loaded in just under two hours, which will require a lot of manpower for that many guns."  
  
"What kind of odds are we looking at?" a burly young man who had a large number of tattoos asked.  
  
"As of now with all of you, about twelve to one," Barbara answered grimly. "None of you will be actively involved in the fighting because you don't have the training or experience. But we will need for you to hold a perimeter so that no one comes in and no one leaves."  
  
The burly man snorted and shook his head. "I didn't sign up for this gig to sit on some rooftop and take potshots at deserters. I served in the Reserves for five years, saw two years of active duty in Iraq and have been a bouncer at some of the worst clubs in town. I know how to take care of myself."  
  
"I think Helena can vouch for my skills as well," a skinny, shifty looking woman of about thirty added as she picked her nails with a nasty looking knife.  
  
Barbara hesitated and her eyebrows drew together unhappily. "Jack and Lina can handle themselves," Helena finally said. "You can team them up with the kid and I if it makes you feel any better."  
  
"I am not a kid," Dinah grumbled under her breath, which caused Barbara to fight a grin and relax.  
  
"Ok, you two I'll allow down with the others. The rest of you will keep at a safe distance, and use your abilities to help keep the enemy contained and confused. Now that you know what we're up against, is their anyone who doesn't feel they are ready for a risk this big?"  
  
The room was silent and Barbara nodded. "Any questions then?"  
  
"Are the police going to be involved in this at all?" Katrianna asked Reese.  
  
"Not until the last minute," he answered. "Quinn has too many eyes and ears, and we don't want to blow our chance at surprising them. Right now, there are only three people on NGPD that know what's about to go down and I'm one of them. Same thing for NYPD."  
  
"What about Quinn? Do you think they'll try to break her out?"  
  
"Probably," Barbara sighed. "Which is why I'll be keeping a close eye on Arkham's security systems."  
  
"Barbara, I hate to be pessimistic, but what if your plan doesn't work? What are we going to do then?" someone else asked.  
  
Barbara paused, a sick look coming over her face as she was forced to contemplate that possibility. "I will be in direct communication with each and every one of you the entire time. No matter what happens, keep calm, and I'll help guide you on where to go and what to do."  
  
There was a moment of silence as the reality of the mission finally sunk in, and everyone contemplated the gravity of their situation. Helena was the one to break the silence finally. "Like Reese said, we don't want to ruin the surprise, so we want everyone to meet here tomorrow evening at seven. Be sure to bring some dark clothes, but wrap them up like a present so it'll look like we're just having a party here."  
  
"And dress warm...for those of you who are affected by it at least," Barbara added with a side glance to Katrianna who chuckled with a few others. The tension finally seemed to dissipate, and Jack stood up.  
  
"Well I think this call for a drink," he announced.  
  
"Not everyone is twenty-one," Gibson reminded him.  
  
"I think we can make one exception today," Reese said as Elisa nodded her own agreement.  
  
Gibson looked nervously at Barbara, who hesitated for a second longer and then shrugged. "Hell I could use one myself," she admitted. "Add it to my bill Gibson."  
  
"What bill?"  
  
"The one for our meeting," she prompted.  
  
"My dearest Oracle, there is no bill. If I cannot fight, then I shall provide your brave warriors with food and drink," he told her melodramatically.  
  
"Then I'd like a double of my namesake," Jack ordered.  
  
"A double of Mr. Daniels it is. And for everyone else?"  
  
A couple of minutes later he and Helena were behind the bar, expertly creating the various concoctions ordered. Once everyone was served they raised their glasses and toasted to Lady Luck.  
  
As the group broke up into little clusters of people casually talking and sipping their drinks, Helena took the opportunity to sidle up the Elisa. She took in the fact that Elisa was slowly nursing her drink and grinned. "Don't want to relive yesterday's hangover?" Helena teased.  
  
Elisa chuckled, embarrassed, and cleared her throat. "A definite no. Um, about the other night...." Elisa began, growing even more embarrassed. They had been so busy the previous night, that she had never gotten a chance to talk with the young vigilante. Now that she had her chance to apologize, she was at a loss for words. Helena was merely grinning at her, enjoying Elisa's sudden discomfort.  
  
"Yes?" she asked innocently, when Elisa's silence dragged on for several seconds.  
  
"I uh, I wanted to apologize for my behavior and anything inappropriate I might have said," Elisa finally managed.  
  
"Inappropriate..." Helena mused and then her eyes lit up as if she suddenly realized something. "Oh, you mean like your offer to-"  
  
"Yes, THAT," Elisa said quickly, cutting Helena off before she could repeat what Elisa had said. "I was drunk, and teased you in a way I shouldn't have. I'm sorry for that."  
  
Helena merely chuckled and took a gulp of her own full glass of vodka. "At least you're a fun drunk," she told Elisa with a wicked grin. She waited for Elisa to take a sip on her drink before adding, "Anytime you and G want me to take you up on that little offer though, you just give me a call."  
  
Helena was rewarded with Elisa choking on her drink. A few heads turned in their direction as Elisa tried to get her coughing and then breathing back under control while Helena just smirked at her. Elisa eyed the younger woman for a few seconds and then grinned. "Touché. So we're okay then?"  
  
"Hell yeah. Though I still owe you for dropping me in the alley. You've caught me twice with my guard down Maza, and I've only been able to repay you once."  
  
"Well Barbara thought it might be beneficial if everyone sparred tonight, so I have a feeling you'll be able to more than redeem yourself later on."  
  
"My money will be on blondie though," Helena admitted as she nodded towards Dinah.  
  
"You think? I saw you fight no holds barred with Goliath, she doesn't strike me as a person who could top that."  
  
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. When it comes to the brawn department, yeah I hold the title in our little group. But Dinah's been practicing a lot on her own lately, and her abilities open up a whole new level of fighting that I'll never be able to touch. Dick has been training with her the past week and he said that Barbara and I have no idea just how far she's come over the past few months. Guess she's been honing her telekinetic abilities quite a bit. Probably why Barbara wants all of us to spar- then we can know each other's fighting skills and abilities."  
  
"It should be an interesting evening to say the least. Well I gotta run. Reese and I want to pay our homeless couple a visit. After what they witnessed, and then realizing who we really were, they were pretty shook up. He's ex-military, and both are decent and honest people, so they swore not to say anything, but we promised we would get in touch with them within the next day or two and let them know if something was going to happen. The last thing we need is a bunch of innocent moving targets, and I think they can help us in making sure the area is cleared tomorrow night."  
  
Helena grimaced. "Better you than me. That is one reason I will never become a cop. You would never catch me dead in an outfit like that, reeking like last year's garbage. Good luck...and don't be late this time!" 


	11. Wheels In Motion

December 23  
  
New Gotham Mid Afternoon  
  
Elisa pulled her cel phone from her pocket and groaned when she saw the number. Reese gave her an inquisitive look as she pushed the talk button with a sigh and put on her best 'normal' tone.  
  
"Hey mom."  
  
"Elisa Maza I have been trying to reach you for a week now and you haven't returned one of my phone calls young lady!"  
  
Elisa winced, hearing the barely suppressed frustration in her mother's voice. "I'm sorry mom, but I haven't been home for over a week, and my cel service out here has been sketchy," she half lied.  
  
"Out here? Where on earth are you now?"  
  
"Can't say right now mom."  
  
"Oh." Came the unhappy response. Her mother understood though, having been married to a police officer for over thirty years. "Well you are coming home for Christmas dinner aren't you?"  
  
Again Elisa winced. "Um, I'm afraid I'm going to have to miss out on the party this year mom. I'm really sorry."  
  
"But Elisa you NEVER work on Christmas Eve. What on earth can be so important that you would miss the one day we all swore we would get together on?" she demanded.  
  
Elisa heard some shuffling around in the background and then her father came on the phone. "Elisa?"  
  
"Yeah dad," Elisa responded tiredly. She rubbed her forehead, and then threw a dirty look towards Reese who was trying not to laugh at her predicament.  
  
"Honey is everything ok?"  
  
"Are you on the house phone?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then we can't talk."  
  
There was a pause. "I'll call you right back."  
  
The line went dead and Elisa groaned again as she killed her own connection. "Sounds like someone's in a little hot water for canceling dinner plans," Reese snickered.  
  
"Can it," she grumbled as her phone rang again and she answered it.  
  
"Elisa is this about those guns?"  
  
"Yeah dad. Look I'm really sorry I can't make it tomorrow night, but I'm not even in town right now."  
  
"That's what your mother said. Is everything ok?"  
  
Elisa paused for a minute, and allowed a small sliver of emotion show through to her father. "I don't know dad. I mean, we have the intelligence, we have a plan, I just hope it's enough."  
  
"Can I do anything to help?"  
  
"No. Just tell mom not to be too mad at me....I think Derek and Maggie are going to be a little tied up too. Tell her I promise I'll make it up to her."  
  
"That's a promise I expect you to keep young lady," he chuckled softly. It was his way of telling her to keep her head down and stay alive. "Call us when you're back in town."  
  
"Thanks Pops. I will."  
  
The line clicked off once more and Elisa hung up her phone with a small breath of relief. "That's one thing I learned early on," Reese said with a smirk.  
  
"Enlighten me?" Elisa remarked dryly.  
  
"Never cancel last minute for a big dinner when you're momma is doing the cooking and she owns a large rolling pin."  
  
Elisa had to release a chuckle with that, picturing a time or two she and her siblings had been mock threatened with that rolling pin after wreaking havoc in the kitchen. "Thank God my father will have calmed her down by the time I get back home. So you think our two friends have blown the whistle on us or skipped out?" she asked changing the subject, as they neared the river front.  
  
"I think they're too honorable to rat us out, but they were pretty shook up the other night. I wouldn't blame them if they decided to skip town. With any luck though, they'll agree to help us clear this place out tomorrow night."  
  
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed."  
  
December 23  
  
mid afternoon Arkham Asylum  
  
"...and this is the lock down button here. If any of the prisoners escape their cells, this button will lock down the entire place. All control booths will be secured by a steel door, and cannot be opened from the outside unless you have a lot of time and a welding torch."  
  
"Seems pretty safe to me."  
  
"We've got the most dangerous minds in this hell-hole. And half of 'em have contacts on the outside that are just dying to break their bosses out. You can't imagine all the attempts we've had over the years."  
  
The pretty young blonde just smiled at him. "Oh I can imagine it's probably a constant problem."  
  
"It is...always have to be on our toes," the guard said, blushing as she seemed to pay more than the usual attention to him. Well now for the tour of our... 'guests'."  
  
"Oh, the best part," she said, with an almost wicked grin.  
  
"You bet. So tell me you don't seem like the type to request a position here at the Asylum. Why'd you pick this?"  
  
"I majored in Criminal Psychology actually. But I'm just not the type to sit in an office all day, so I decided to do a job that would combine the best of both worlds."  
  
"Well, just be careful around some of the brains in here. Take her for instance," he said pointing through a specially coated and distorted piece of heavy plexi-glass.  
  
"Is that Dr. Quinzel?" the new recruit asked with a breathless gasp of awe. Her escort frowned a bit. "She ain't no doctor," he said in a nearly disgusted tone.  
  
The new recruit seemed to reign in her fascination, and he continued. "Harleen Quinzel, a.k.a., Harley Quinn. She's the Joker's girlfriend and they make Bonnie and Clyde seem like amateurs. She is the epitome of a psychopathic killer. She's been known to even kill those that work for her just because she felt like it. She also has the ability to hypnotize a person just by looking into their eyes. That's why every individual that deals with her on a personal basis, must wear special contacts that prevent her from taking control of your mind. You will be issued two pair at the end of your briefing, and you are expected to have a pair with you at all times."  
  
"Is she really that dangerous?"  
  
"She is one of our most lethal residents here. We lost nearly a dozen guards to Quinn before we finally figured out a way to protect ourselves from her influence."  
  
"Lost? You mean she killed them?" the new recruit asked in shock.  
  
"In a way. They all died by their own hand, but it was her powers that made them do it," the older man told her with a grimace before he looked back over at her. He cocked his head to one side and looked her over and then harrumphed.  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's just....ahhh never mind."  
  
"Oh now you've really got my interest. What?"  
  
"Well...it's just that you look a little like her. Actually now that I think about it, you could be her younger sister. I'm sorry, I hope I haven't offended you."  
  
The new recruit laughed and shook her head. "No Don, you haven't offended me. In fact when the cops were looking for her, they picked me up twice thinking I was her. Once I saw the pictures I didn't blame them, I guess I really do look a lot like her. Well should we continue on?"  
  
"Yeah, there's still plenty to see. Now this next guy is kind of a heartbreak case. He was a brilliant scientist until his wife contracted this incurable disease and he was involved in some freak lab accident shortly thereafter...."  
  
December 23  
  
Mid Afternoon New Gotham Docks  
  
Reese and Maza shuffled back into the homeless camp, greeting a couple of people they had met over the past two weeks as they made their way towards the fire. There disappearance for a couple of days didn't seem to be met with any suspicion since everyone here was fairly transient and being wintertime, many would seek the warmth and food of local shelters one a more frequent basis. They spotted Susan and Jerry, sitting off to one side chatting with a few of the others, and passing a freshly boiled pot of 'hobo-coffee' as Elisa had dubbed it.  
  
Susan looked up to see Reese and Elisa approaching and nudged Jerry to get his attention. Elisa and Reese continued past the small group towards a small fire that was not occupied away from the main groups. After a few minutes, the couple excused themselves and made their way over to the two detectives.  
  
"They don't look to happy to see us," Reese noted quietly.  
  
"Would you be," Elisa muttered back.  
  
The couple sat down across from Elisa and Reese, both looking worried and hurt. "Who are you?" Jerry finally asked in a quiet voice.  
  
Reese looked over to Elisa who nodded and answered. "My name is Elisa Maza. I'm a detective with the NYPD. You've probably heard about the guns that we've had show up in Manhattan. Well two weeks ago, I received a tip that five thousand more of those guns were going to be shipped into my city by train from here. What you two witnessed last night confirmed what we had suspected."  
  
"Are you from New York too?" Jerry asked Reese.  
  
"No, I'm a local boy. Jesse Reese, and I work as a detective with NGPD."  
  
"So how many more of your people have been masquerading around here lately?" Susan asked, sounding more than a little upset even though she kept her voice as quiet as possible.  
  
"We're the only ones. What you saw is the work of Harley Quinn, and by the look on your faces, I'm guessing you know who she is."  
  
"Who doesn't around here," Jerry muttered bitterly.  
  
"She has too many eyes and ears, and most of the police are pretty much in the dark as to what's going on."  
  
"If the police have no idea what's going on then how do you plan on stopping them? I served my tour in the Middle East and I know what kind of fire and manpower they have down there. It's gonna take more than just the two of you to stop them," Jerry snorted in disbelief.  
  
"We only said that most of the police have no clue as to what's going to happen tomorrow night. But most of our help will be coming from outside the department," Elisa explained.  
  
Jerry and Susan looked at them skeptically. "This turned into a military operation or something?"  
  
"Hell no. My partner used to work for the federal government and even he said that would be a bad idea. There's too much at stake right now to risk blowing this operation, so we have to plan and execute this whole thing while flying below the radar."  
  
"What do you want from us?" Jerry asked warily.  
  
"Only to help clear out your friends when things start to go down tomorrow night," Elisa assured him. "The last thing we would expect of you or Susan is to help us fight these lunatics. We've already assembled a team for that. We only have a small window of opportunity to take these bastards out, and we can't afford any distractions."  
  
"Jerry can you and Susan see to it that everyone clears this area when they start bringing the guns out?" Reese asked.  
  
"Not before?" Susan asked concerned.  
  
"It will make things look suspicious. They'll be expecting to see you guys around when they come topside to start loading. But if you all start leaving while they work, it'll just seem like you're giving them the space they've been enforcing down in the tunnels over this past year."  
  
The older couple exchanged glances and then Jerry nodded. "Yeah, we can do that. It'll help that most people here are planning to head to the Sixth Street Shelter for the traditional dinner and celebration they hold each Christmas Eve. Most will sleep over there too since they distribute gifts and food first thing in the morning."  
  
Elisa gave a sigh of relief, and closed her eyes briefly before re- opening them with a look of pure gratitude. "I'm sorry we had to deceive both of you," she told them with honest regret. "But we had so little time, and this was our last hope of trying to find out the information we needed. Even though you didn't realize it at the time, your help will help save more lives than you can imagine. Thank you."  
  
Jerry nodded once and Susan managed a tiny smile, accepting Elisa's apology and gratitude. There were a few minutes of uncomfortable silence and then Susan shifted. "So are you two really a couple?" she asked finally.  
  
Reese chuckled. "No, but both our other halves were ready to kill us when we went back home the other night."  
  
Elisa giggled remembering the scene that took place when she and Reese had first walked into the Clocktower. "Yeah Reese's girlfriend was ready to flay me on sight, and I thought my boyfriend was going to pound him into hamburger meat for a couple of minutes."  
  
"So then.... our discussions, they were real?" Susan asked, hoping that she hadn't been totally played by Elisa and Reese.  
  
Elisa reached over and smiled warmly at the older woman as she squeezed her hand. "Oh no Susan, they were very much the real thing. And I wanted to thank you for helping me face some issues I've left hanging for far too long."  
  
"Sometimes, it takes someone on the outside to help you put things into perspective. Will you two be staying here tonight?"  
  
"We have to get back to our friends tonight. We have some final preparations to make for tomorrow. Besides, none of us wanted to miss being able to spend one last evening with our loved ones," Elisa admitted.  
  
"Just one thing that we wanted to know before you two go," Jerry asked.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I mean we admire your courage and all, but you'd have to be crazier than hell to try and go up against a woman like Quinn. Especially since she has a whole friggin' army that's outfitted with enough firepower to take out an entire state. You're telling us that the police, the Feds, and the government aren't going to be involved in this. Why would you be willing to go on a suicide mission like this?"  
  
Reese and Elisa were quiet for several long moments as they both stared into the fire, contemplating their answers. "Elisa and I come from two different cities, with two different threats, but it boils down to one reason. To protect."  
  
"The people involved in this operation have left their scars on both of our families and friends. Quinn's counterpart in Manhattan, is just as crazy and bloodthirsty as she is. If they aren't stopped, the slaughtering will only escalate, and thousands of innocents will be sacrificed without a second thought. One way or another, Reese and I will see to it that they are stopped tomorrow night," Elisa answered in a steady tone.  
  
Susan and Jerry were both taken aback by the detectives' deadly resolve. What was being left unsaid, hung in the air between the two couples. Finally Jerry managed a nod as he cleared his throat. "Our prayers are with you and your friends then."  
  
Reese and Elisa nodded and then stood. "Take care you guys," Elisa said as she hugged Susan briefly while the men exchanged a firm handshake.  
  
"Don't worry about us. Just watch yourselves out there tomorrow night."  
  
With that, the two detectives took their leave and began their mile hike back towards their car, careful to make sure they weren't being followed. Once inside the car, they both let out a sigh of relief. "Well at least that has been taken care of," Reese said as he turned on the engine and pulled out of the ally they had been parked in.  
  
Elisa began stripping the heavy smelly clothes off of her, as Reese tried to shrug out of his own overcoat and extra layers while they drove back towards the Clock Tower. Suddenly Elisa's phone rang and she swore as she dug into her pockets for it.  
  
"Maza."  
  
"Hey Sugar."  
  
Elisa was shocked silent for several seconds. "How'd you get this number?" she finally gasped.  
  
"You insult me Maza," he chuckled.  
  
"Damn it Tony they'll trace your call-"she swore at him as Reese's head snapped around suddenly. "Jesus, Reese watch out!" she yelled at him, as he looked forward again and narrowly avoided slamming into a car that had stopped in front of them.  
  
"Easy Maza," Dracon said smoothly. "I'm not calling from the joint."  
  
Elisa groaned. "Please don't tell me you busted out. Because if you, did I swear I will hunt you down myself after this and see to it that you have the worst bunkmate in the house."  
  
"I love you too Sugar. But really why would I want to break out when I was given a parole hearing only a few days after we had our little chat? I must say, I'm impressed. You've managed to impress some people high up the ladder if you got me a parole hearing that quick."  
  
"Blackmail works as well as favors. Where are you?"  
  
"There's a law firm on the corner of fifty-fourth and Downey. Tell the receptionist you have an appointment with Mr. Silver. I'm looking forward to meeting Detective Reese. I hope he's as challenging as his old man says he is." The line went dead and Elisa pulled her phone away from her ear and stared at it for several seconds.  
  
"What?!" Reese asked impatiently.  
  
"He was paroled...and he's here in town now."  
  
"Dracon? He's here...in New Gotham...now?" he asked stunned.  
  
Elisa could only nod and stare at the phone as she remembered his promise to her two weeks ago. When the time comes you'll have all the help you'll need, he had said. She never imagined it to come from him in person and that irked her a little. A frown crossed her face and she snapped her phone shut.  
  
"Call Barbara and tell them we're gonna be a little late."  
  
"Why?" he asked suspiciously as he pulled out his own phone.  
  
"Tony wants to meet with us."  
  
"Whoa wait a minute," he said angrily as he pulled the car over the side and stopped. "Elisa, he is a known felon. We can't just waltz into wherever he wants to meet us and chitchat. Who knows what they could be planning!"  
  
"Reese I got the guy paroled, and I'm about to risk my neck to help save his turf. He gave me his word that he would leave me alone from now on, and he promised to help me when the time came. Trust me, I'm not any happier than you are that we have to rely on someone like Dracon, or your father to help us but we have...no...choice," she ground out, her eyes boring into his.  
  
"My father? What, now he's going to be there too?" he spat out.  
  
"Probably. Listen Reese, we both swore to each other we would see this thing through to the end- even if it meant blowing the whole damned area up. We've already crossed the line Jesse, now all we can do is take what help we can get and deal with the consequences later. So either shut up and drive or I get out and walk. Either way, I'm not turning down their help."  
  
The two exchanged hard glances in a silent battle of wills, and then with a huff of exasperation, Reese began punching the Clock Tower's number. "Barbara is gonna flip when she finds out about this," he grumbled.  
  
"They'll deal, just like we will."  
  
The rest of the ride was finished in tense silence, and Reese slammed his door shut as he exited the car and looked up at the elaborate stone building they were in front of. "Figures," he muttered as Elisa moved past him and climbed up the front steps to the doors. Inside, a lobby guard looked them over carefully and wrinkled his nose at their disheveled appearance. Elisa marched up to the older woman behind the large desk who looked up at them in surprise. "We're here for an appointment with Mr. Silver."  
  
She eyed them skeptically, and picked up the phone. "Yes, I'm sorry to disturb you sir, but there are a couple of... people here who say they have an appointment with Mr. Silver." There was a brief pause. "Yes sir...I'll send them up right away."  
  
The lady set the phone down and punched a button on her console. Just a little ways behind her an elevator door opened up and she gestured towards it. "Mr. Silver will see you immediately. Please take the elevator to the tenth floor. A guard will escort you to his office."  
  
"Thank you," Elisa said as pleasantly as possible before she and Reese boarded the elevator.  
  
"For the record, I have a bad feeling about this."  
  
"Just let me do most of the talking ok? The last thing we need is to be worrying about Quinn and the mob." The door opened and the two fell silent and a large man wearing a finely tailored suit gestured for them to follow him.  
  
"Now that's not you're everyday guard uniform," Reese remarked sarcastically under his breath. Elisa shot him a glare, so he decided to keep his mouth shut until they reached their destination. They knew which room was 'Mr. Silver's' office when they caught sight of two more well- dressed 'guards' standing in front of a set of large double doors.  
  
They stepped aside as the doors were opened from the inside, and all three waited outside gesturing for the two detectives to enter. Elisa eyed the large office appreciatively. It wasn't quite as expansive as Xanatos', but it was just as finely decorated. Two men stood off in one corner, more bodyguards, Elisa deduced. Sitting behind a very ornate desk was an older man dressed in an expensive business suit, his face marred by a large number of burn scars. Behind him stood Tony Dracon, back in his own business suit and hair slicked back perfectly.  
  
"Tony," she acknowledged. She noticed the other man was gazing intensely at Reese. "And you must be Mr. Hawke."  
  
He broke his gaze from his son, and smiled briefly at her. "Detective Maza. Always a pleasure to meet one of my colleague's friends."  
  
Elisa snorted. "I wouldn't go that far."  
  
"Young Tony here has been informing me of the dreadful threat we all seem to be facing. I must offer my apologies Detective Maza. I myself have been...detained over the past year and was not able to conduct my business with its usual efficiency," he said with a cold look to Reese, who stiffened slightly.  
  
"Had I been free, I would have been aware of the problem long before it came one."  
  
"You murdering bastard-," Reese spat out vehemently as he took a step forward. The two guards in the corner began to shift and Elisa grabbed Reese's arm before her could advance any further.  
  
"Not now," she hissed at him as she cut off his tirade.  
  
Hawke unfolded his hands as he stood up from his desk. "Still angry with me son? I paid the price of my crimes," he said with a gesture to his scarred features.  
  
"Don't call me your son," Reese ground out, barely restraining himself.  
  
Hawke's eyes narrowed as his features clouded over as he leaned threateningly over his desk. "Whether either of us likes it or not, we are family. Don't you dare disrespect that in my office," he snapped coldly.  
  
"I hate to interrupt this little family argument here, but we have more pressing matters at hand," Elisa cut in, stalling any further retorts from Reese.  
  
Hawke turned his attention back to her and then chuckled once more as he looked over at Tony. "She is a bold one."  
  
"Maza likes to get to the point...and quickly. She gets grumpy if you waste too much of her time," he responded with a teasing look towards the female detective who narrowed her eyes slightly at him.  
  
"To the point then. Unfortunately, my incarceration has left me with a fairly disorganized crew to clean up. Quinn's gang was quick to eliminate any opposition, so my people either laid low this past year, or moved out. My man power has been cut in half, but I will use what resources I still have available to aid you and your group in disposing of this threat to both of our cities."  
  
"What about Manhattan?" Elisa asked Dracon.  
  
"Glasses is back on his feet finally. I've already paid Xanatos and Bluestone a visit and everything there is being taken care of. I'm here to help my old friend, and make sure nothing happens to my favorite detective," he told her in a slick voice as he gave her a smooth grin.  
  
Elisa groaned. "Chavez is going to kill me when all of this is over with. And you had better not let Goliath catch you leering at me like that either because I may just let him rip your arm off and beat you with it."  
  
Tony feigned having a wounded heart while Hawke let out a hearty laugh and Reese grew more agitated. Elisa glanced at her watch. "We have to get back to the others before they send out the search party. We'll tell them about your offer to help, but this is our show here and you will do things by our rules is that understood?"  
  
Hawke stared at his son's raven-haired partner in surprise as he listened to her boldly make demands of him, despite the fact that she was standing in his office, with Dracon at his side and armed guards in every corner. A look at Jesse showed that the young man was just as stunned as he was that she would dare to order him around.  
  
Behind him, Dracon cleared his throat. "Remember that this ain't your town Maza," he advised coolly.  
  
She snorted and raised a dark eyebrow. "Last time I checked, this town belonged to no one but Quinn," she retorted. "You sent me up here to handle this Tony, and that is what I've been doing. We have spent the last two weeks working our asses off to plan this bust. I'll be damned if I let anyone- including you and the mob squad here- get in our way. So if anyone wants this town back, they'll do it our way or no way at all."  
  
There was more tense silence and then finally Hawke nodded. "Very well. Tony will contact you tomorrow at noon to set up a rendezvous point and time. I will send what men I can spare with instructions to follow your orders."  
  
Then with a wave of dismissal, the older mob boss turned his chair to face out the window and the two detectives turned to leave. They were halted a couple of feet from the door when he spoke up once more.  
  
"Detectives one last thing. Take good care of my men. I will be very.....displeased if I find out that they were sacrificed on the front lines just because they work for me."  
  
Elisa smirked, all too familiar with the veiled threat in his words. "Don't worry," she reassured him. "If any of them get killed it's because they put their fool asses on the front lines. You just tell them to be ready, because if our team goes down tomorrow night, they'll be this city's last line of defense."  
  
With that she grabbed Reese's arm and left.  
  
December 23  
  
Evening Castle Wyvern New York  
  
David Xanatos stood in his office looking down at the myriad of lights that lay at his feet. He smiled slightly at himself, pleased with the empire he had built in such a relatively short amount of time. He was one of the wealthiest men in the world. He had a beautiful wife, a son that engendered a sense of love in him that he had never felt before, and a true and loyal companion in Owen. He once thought that wealth and power was all there was to life.  
  
But the gargoyles had changed all of that. He had been fascinated at first by their stubborn sense of duty to protect. It had become a game of sorts for awhile. Xanatos knew they possessed a fierce loyalty to protect that which they deemed as part of their own. So time and again he would use that sense of duty to lure them into one of his schemes. He was amazed that Maza had actually managed to persuade them to finally leave their ancestral home. It was shortly after that, that Xanatos became aware of Goliath's protectiveness for the Detective.  
  
The scheming and plotting took a sudden turn however when Fox's life had become endangered by one of his 'experiments.' Goliath's wisdom had hit home that night, and David suddenly realized that there was more to life than his power and wealth. The games with Goliath and his Clan ceased, and Xanatos turned his attentions to an area of life he had never explored before. Love and family.  
  
It was amazing the changes those two things brought upon the billionaire. A decade ago he was a criminal, wielding his power like a child with a new toy. Now here he was, a man of time-earned wisdom, once more wielding that power. Only this time, it was to help protect - just like the gargoyles did.  
  
"Everyone is assembled in the great hall upstairs sir," Owen said quietly as he came up to stand next to his employer.  
  
"It's funny," Xanatos remarked wryly as he continued to stare out at the city.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Goliath and his Clan avoided us for a long time after I let them come back home. Even still, we have limited contact. And yet they have taught me so much over the years."  
  
"Gargoyles carry a passion for things that most of mankind have turned their backs on over the centuries. When one sees the value of the things they cherish, it gives a whole new meaning to life."  
  
"A decade ago, I could never understand why they constantly risked everything for what I thought was some misguided sense of concern and duty. After all these years...I finally understand," he admitted with a shake of his head.  
  
"You had doubts as to why you should help with tomorrow night's plans?"  
  
"I had no doubts," Xanatos corrected. "I knew it was the right thing to do. But it wasn't until a few minutes ago, that I finally FELT the reason why it was the right thing to do. It's what Detective Maza feels every time she does her job. It's what the Clan feels when they've had a good night on patrols. It's what I feel when I close a challenging deal that has taken us weeks to secure. I have the power to do something that will benefit my family and others- even if there is some risk to myself."  
  
Owen was silent for a minute and then he spoke up. "I experienced that feeling once in my life," he admitted.  
  
Xanatos looked over at him with an inquisitive eyebrow raised. Owen looked out over the city for a moment. "When I was Puck and I challenged Lord Oberon. Owen Burnett will always be loyal to you sir, but as Puck, I developed respect for you as well. I had feared that one day, Oberon and Titania would come for your son, and when that time came, I couldn't stand by. Even though I knew what the consequences could have been, I was compelled to help stop them."  
  
"Do you regret having made that stand?"  
  
"Every time I begin to doubt myself, I look at Alex and see all that he has become, and I realize that the sacrifice was minor compared to what I gained. Even a member of the Third Race can learn something from the gargoyles," Owen answered, his lips twitching upwards a fraction.  
  
Xanatos chuckled. "Indeed. Let's not keep our guests waiting any longer. I'm sure Captain Chavez is ready to bolt out my door."  
  
The assembled group sat around a huge dining table, looking each over as they waited for the arrival of their host. The Clan sat down at one end, Derek, Maggie, Claw and Delilah sat next to them, while Matt tried to keep Chavez from bristling too much when Glasses and several of his crew were shown in by Owen who retreated almost immediately.  
  
"What are they doing here?" Chavez demanded quietly of Matt who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  
  
"I think Xanatos will answer that," he answered seeing that the rest of the Clan and the Mutates were eyeing him as well.  
  
After that, no one spoke until Xanatos appeared with Owen and his wife several minutes later and took his seat at the head of the large table. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming," he began as if he was starting a board meeting.  
  
"I don't think introductions are necessary, since by the looks of things you all seem to be familiar with each other. Captain Chavez, I can see you have some question as to the presence of Mr. Dracon's associates?"  
  
Chavez fixed Glasses with a hard look before addressing Xanatos. "This whole operation is already going against everything I work and stand for Mr. Xanatos. Now we're bringing the mob into this?"  
  
"As you are already aware Captain, the valuable information that has helped us plan this whole operation was due to the diligent efforts of Mr. Dracon and his associates. I believe he entitled to help in seeing that the grievous crimes against his friends and family don't go any further."  
  
Chavez rubbed her temples and looked at Glasses again. "Look, I know what they did to you Glasses. And I am grateful for everything that you and your crew have done so far to help get us the critical intel we needed. Trust me, I don't blame you for wanting to pay them and Canmore back for what they've done. But I can't condone turning you and your crew loose on them."  
  
Glasses merely nodded his understanding and then looked at Xanatos who continued. "Which is not going to happen Captain," he assured her. "Owen, Fox and I will handle the planned attack on the castle. That will free up the rest of you to head down to where the train is supposed to arrive. Glasses and his men will merely provide backup until the rest of the police arrive."  
  
Brooklyn frowned. "There's supposed to be a not so small army trying to break into this place tomorrow night. Are you sure it's wise to have all of us go down to the depot?"  
  
"We were able to extract the needed information from the mole to know when and where they will try to attack us," Owen explained.  
  
"We will allow them access to the Aerie, so that we can keep the fighting off the streets and endanger as few people as possible. Their plan is flawed however in that they will be relying on the elevators for the majority of their foot soldiers. As we speak, movers are clearing out one floor for 'renovations' and that is where we will trap and subdue the trespassers. The castle defenses will handle the rest."  
  
Brooklyn seemed satisfied with the answer and sat back in his chair. "So now all we need to do is come up with the best way to surprise the rest of these goons and make sure Canmore doesn't get away again."  
  
"Detective Bluestone, I believe you have been researching that problem. I think we'd be interested to hear what you have come up with," Xanatos said as he gestured to the large screen that Owen turned on that displayed the vicinity in and around the train depot where the shipment was to arrive.  
  
Matt stood, took the offered laser pointer and took a deep breath as he began to outline his plan.  
  
December 23  
  
10pm Arkham Asylum New Gotham  
  
The blonde guard stepped past the unconscious man on the floor and tapped in the code that would open the door to Quinn's room. The prisoner turned when she heard the hiss of the door, and stood to examine the woman who entered.  
  
"Dr. Quinzel?" the blonde guard asked with a grin of excitement.  
  
Quinn's head cocked to one side, seeing no fear or loathing in the eyes of the woman that stood in front of her glass cage. Suddenly a slow grin spread across her lips. "Formerly. Sadly some people just didn't like the way I practiced my profession however."  
  
"Well hopefully that situation can be remedied. I would love to spend some time getting to know you better, but I'm here to give you your Christmas present and we haven't much time."  
  
"Why you must be my baby brother's girlfriend! Oh the dear- he planned a jailbreak for me?" she clapped.  
  
"And they'll never know you were gone," she told Quinn as she pulled off the wig she had been wearing to reveal platinum hair cut exactly like Quinn's.  
  
"I just love surprises!"  
  
Christine unlocked Quinn's cell and began stripping off her uniform as Quinn shrugged out of her prison coveralls. They swapped clothing and Quinn put the wig on as well as the fake contacts while Christine began putting the final touches of her disguise in place.  
  
"I pretended to trip and shoved the guard into the door while I slipped him a mild sedative. He should be coming around in a minute."  
  
"Too bad you didn't kill him," Quinn pouted.  
  
"Yes well your brother said to restrain yourself, and just leave at 10:30 when my shift ends. No sense in raising any alarms before tomorrow night."  
  
"You're right," Quinn sighed as she waved Christine into the cell. "Don't worry sweetie, as soon as I'm done having my fun tomorrow night I'll be back for you. Then we can have a proper jailbreak!"  
  
"I'll be waiting," Christine said eagerly as Quinn shut the cell and locked it and then exited the room.  
  
The guard was on the ground, groaning as he began to rub his head. Playing the part, Quinn knelt next to him and lightly patted his cheek. "Oh I'm so sorry!" she told him as she helped him sit up. "I slipped and you tried to catch me. Are you ok?" she asked with false concern.  
  
Half an hour later, Quinn exited Arkham and took her first breath of fresh air in a year. A maniacal grin spread across her lips as she gazed over the city her eyes lighting upon the Clocktower standing proudly in the city's center.  
  
"Tomorrow we will have fun my little birds," she mused excitedly before she walked to the provided car and sped away from the dismal mental hospital. 


	12. Introspectives

A/N: Ok so I may be taking a few liberties here about certain events that transpired shortly after Barbara was shot. I honestly have no idea if Dick was really around or not. So if I've written something that doesn't quite mesh...oh well. ((**Grins))** that's the fun of writing my own story! Please R&R all comments are welcome...okay good comments and constructive comments.

December 23

Sunset

New Gotham

Clock Tower

Goliath and Hudson broke from their stone slumber and took in the scent's of the city as they inhaled their first breath. Hudson paused for a moment and sniffed the air another couple of times. "Tis about to storm," he remarked quietly.

A soft chuckle greeted them and both gargoyles turned to welcome their human clan mate. "You should get a job with the Weather Channel Hudson," Elisa teased as she gave Goliath a hug and then shifted over to hug the elder gargoyle as well.

"Aye, but then I'd have more enemies than I do now lass!" he chortled.

Elisa laughed with him and nodded in agreement. "They say its gonna snow later tonight. Probably only a couple of inches- too bad it can't be a three day blizzard or something."

"Yes but then you would be pacing the floor endlessly, and second guessing our plans every ten minutes," Goliath said dead-panned.

Elisa balked and then shook her head grinning. "You know me too well."

"Och, the whole Clan knows tae keep out o' your path when your stewing over a problem," Hudson snickered.

"This from the male who nearly ripped Brooklyn's head off when he lost the TV remote last month," Elisa shot back with a wicked grin. "Well I know you guys aren't affected by this cold, but I'm freezing my butt off and the others are waiting inside."

Goliath nodded and reached out to hold the door open for Elisa who quickly scooted inside and climbed down the stairs to the Delphi control room. Barbara looked up from her typing, Jim Gordon and Dick were engaged in a chess game, while Reese sat and chatted with the girls. Everyone looked up and greeted the two gargoyles, and made room for them to get comfortable.

"So how did your meeting go today?" Goliath asked as Elisa settled on a chair in front of where he stood.

"Extremely well. Better than I had anticipated. There are sixteen metas with active powers that are going to help us out tomorrow night. Two of them have some combat or fighting experience and Helena said she could vouch for their skills. The rest will hold a perimeter for Alpha Team, and can also provide plenty of cover fire and distraction."

"Excellent," Goliath stated pleased. Once it had been determined that he, Hudson, and Dick were the three best suited to take on the train, he had been fretting about Elisa's safety.

"There's uh something else you guys should know about as well," Elisa spoke up, shifting a bit hesitantly.

Goliath sensed her sudden nervousness and looked down at her curiously. "Tony Dracon made bail two days ago, and he's here in New Gotham."

Gordon frowned, Dick groaned and Oracle sighed. "Could there be any more problems that we have to deal with?" Helena asked sarcastically.

"Actually.....he's here to help. Or so he said to Elisa," Reese added still some what skeptical. But he had been there, and after he had take some time to calm down and analyze the whole meeting, he was faced with the reality that the mob really was on their side.

There was a chorus of 'what?' throughout the room and Elisa had to smile a bit.

"The mob has as much to lose as we do guys," Elisa explained. "So they're gonna be a part of this whether we like it or not. Since we busted our butts trying to come up this plan, I sure as hell don't want to see it ruined because they decide to show up and just starting shooting the place up. So I made a deal with Hawke and Dracon. They can help us, but they do it our way."

Everyone with the exception of Reese, Hudson and Goliath were gawking at Elisa in disbelief. Reese snickered a bit, seeing the other's stunned expressions. "Yeah she told them as much too."

"And you lived?" Dinah asked in disbelief. There was some hurt on her expression though, and Elisa didn't miss it.

"I would have like nothing better than to slap some cuffs on him and throw him back in the slammer, but we need his help too badly right now. He can provide two resources that we don't have enough of right now, manpower and firepower. To be honest with you guys, even with the meta's helping us I doubted we could have pulled this mission off without serious casualties. But now, I think we just might stand a chance of stopping Quinn's plans without suffering too many losses."

No one really could respond to that and Oracle merely nodded her acknowledgement. "Well, I know it's been a little while since a few of us have had a chance to workout, so I thought it might be a good idea if we worked out a little stress and got some practice time in."

"Miss Barbara, if I may make a suggestion?" Alfred asked as he stepped forward.

"Sure."

"Seeing as how tomorrow night will be devoted this mission, I thought perhaps you might like to have Christmas dinner tonight instead?"

"And my guess is you've already had the turkey cooking all day," Barbara said as her eyes crinkled in mirth.

"Just in case," he nodded.

"I don't smell anything cooking," Helena stated as she sniffed the air tentatively.

"That's because I have it warming back at the Manor. I know, this is on short notice, and I am aware of your apprehensions Miss Helena, but the Manor is more suited for an occasion such as this. The facilities are much larger than here, there is ample rooms for you all to rest in, and the dinning room would be much more suitable for everyone."

There was a lengthy pause as everyone allowed Helena to decide. She cleared her throat finally and nodded once. "Yeah, I guess it's about time I at least took a look around the place. But don't think I'm going to move in there any time soon," she told the aging butler who was straining to contain his pleasure.

"I wouldn't dare dream of it Miss Helena," he told her with a happy glint in his blue eyes.

"Well I have a few things I need to finish up here then before I head over, Dad could you and Dinah stay and help me out?" Barbara asked giving Reese and Elisa a pointed look while Helena couldn't see her.

"Sure."

"I should head back to my apartment to grab some extra clothes and stuff. I'll meet up with you guys in a little bit," Reese added as he got Barbara's message and stood up.

"Detective Maza?" Alfred asked politely as he turned to Elisa.

"Actually if you don't mind, it's been awhile since Goliath's taken me out on a glide. I think I'll catch a ride with him and Hudson if you don't mind."

"Master Dick?"

"I guess someone's gotta show Helena around the joint," he said grinning over at the brunette. He watched as she tried to relax, and gave her a silent cheer for finally letting go of some of her hostility towards Bruce.

"Shall we depart then?"

"We'll be right behind you guys," Barbara called out as they headed towards the elevators.

"Sure you will," Helena muttered knowingly.

Dick just chuckled and stepped into the elevator without another word.

Wayne Manor

New Gotham

6 pm

Dick and Helena sat on one of the catwalks that crossed over a gap in the Batcave, their legs dangling carelessly over the edge.

"So this is where it all started huh?" Helena asked as she took in her surroundings with every sense available to her. Suddenly her nose wrinkled a bit and she tamped down on her sense of smell slightly. "It stinks a bit down here," she remarked, much to Dick's amusement.

"I heard you mother said the same thing," he laughed.

"Hey it does! I mean there's gotta be centuries of bat crap down there," she said nodding towards the darkness below.

"Probably. But Bruce had some heavy duty ventilators put in to help keep the stink down to a minimum. Guess I just got used to it after all these years. So what do you think?"

Helena's lips cocked upwards in her usual smirk. "It's everything I thought it would be and then some. But I guess that's typical of him isn't it?"

"Yeah, Bruce Wayne had a reputation to live up to- even if it wasn't his real style."

Helena nodded and looked around her one more time. "This feels like him though. It's weird, but up there, nothing hit me as really representing him for who he truly was. But down here..." she paused for a moment searching for the right words. "It's almost like I can feel his presence here."

Dick was quiet for a moment as he absorbed her statement and then nodded. "You know I never really thought of it like that, but you're right. He was at home down here. Some nights he would have a hard time sleeping, and Alfred or I would find him down here the next morning, crashed out on one of the catwalks or something. He found comfort in the darkness here," he explained as he watched Helena's response.

He saw the brief spark of understanding in her eyes and smiled privately to himself. 'Whether you like it or not little sis, you're a lot like him,' he thought to himself. But then she frowned, and he could see the silent battle in her eyes.

"Why did he leave Dick?" she asked quietly.

It was a question she had asked Barbara a hundred times even though she never had an answer. It seemed as if Dick didn't have one either. "It don't know Helena," he admitted softly.

She hung her head in disappointment, rebellious tears threatening to spill from her suddenly moist eyes. Dick put a comforting arm around her and she allowed the embrace. He was bursting with pride in the steps she was making, however difficult and painful it was to let go of her past.

"I've asked myself that same question every day since he left. I was away on a mission with the Titan's and didn't find out about Joker's attacks until three weeks later. By then, Bruce was gone, and I hated him for weeks after that. I was furious that he hadn't called me home immediately- that he had left Barbara when she needed him the most. Then I found out about you, and it made me even more angry. I searched for him for weeks," Dick sighed.

"How...how did you finally stop hating him?" she whispered.

Dick shrugged. "He's my father," he explained simply. "Next to Alfred, I guess I knew Bruce the best- however little that might be," he chuckled wryly. "Bruce is a very private man Helena. He is emotionally closed off from everyone, even family. I think that's why he ran from your mother all those years ago- she frightened him because some one had cracked the shell around his heart. The funny thing is, I think she understood that, and that's why she kept your existence hidden from him.

"Bruce adopted me when I had no where else to go," Dick said with a shrug. "He felt a kinship with me, and eventually he grew to think of me as his son. But you....you are the result of the one time he let his guard down enough to really love some one."

"You're saying he would have resented me?" Helena asked with a frown.

"No, he wouldn't resent you Helena. But I doubt he could have continued being the Bat if he knew he had a child of his own depending on him for love and nurturing. Selina knew that, and I guess she didn't want to take that away from him." Dick sighed as he shifted.

"He's a complex man Hel. If I were to take a stab at it, I would say he left because he finally broke. The one person he dared to love was killed, Barbara was crippled for life, and he wasn't there to stop it. I think in his mind, he feels responsible for everything that happened."

Helena looked down at her hands guiltily and swallowed. "For a long time, I blamed him too," she whispered, her voice suddenly hoarse. "I thought that maybe if he wouldn't have left her that they would have still been together and he would have been there that night. That he could have protected her."

"But we can't always be in the right place at the right time Hel," Dick reminded her gently.

She chuffed sadly. "Tell me about it," she muttered. "I guess that's why I don't blame him any more. Now that I've walked in his shoes, I know that we can only do so much. And we will let down even those we love," she admitted recalling last year's horror. "I don't blame him for her murder anymore Dick, but I'm still pissed at him. It's been nearly ten years, and not once has he tried to contact any of us! I realize he's only human, but damn it you don't build a business empire like he did without some sense of responsibility. Granted I only met him once, but Barbara deserved better than that."

"I agree with you totally there," Dick answered, his own voice low with suppressed anger. "And what frustrates me even more is I think old Al knows where he is and isn't saying anything. I can't believe he of all people would let Bruce get away with this."

Helena had no response for that, but she had her own suspicions about their butler as well. "Well the others are probably waiting around upstairs for us."

Dick rolled to his feet and nodded. "Yeah, besides Alfred whipped up a few extra suits for everyone, so you guys should try them out when we spar to get a feel for them."

Helena drew up short. "Oh hell no. I am NOT running around in spandex."

Dick chuckled. "Don't worry, the suits were created for each individual's style and needs. But with all the firepower that's gonna be floating around tomorrow night, not to mention the cold, we had all best be prepared."

Helena snorted. "Amazing what money can buy."

"Don't knock it sis. That money is about to help protect your ass."

She snorted in response, but said nothing more as they stepped into the elevator that whisked them upstairs.

Alfred led the group towards the armory, with only Dick and Helena aware of what he was about to reveal. Of course Barbara was beginning to show signs of having figured out Alfred's 'Christmas present', having been all too familiar with what was stored inside the heavily protected room.

The butler deftly opened the secured door and swung it open with only minor effort despite the size of the giant steel door. He stepped in first, gesturing every one else to follow him as he briskly walked ahead and began flipping light switches on. The group gathered inside, several jaws dropping having been granted access to the most sacred of places inside the Batcave for the first time.

"Wow," Elisa breathed as her eyes fell upon the wardrobe of the legendary owner of the very cave they were in. "That's really his costume?"

Alfred smiled proudly. "It is indeed Miss. Designed to instill fear into the hearts of even the hardest of criminals."

Reese snorted in agreement. "Definitely on the menacing looking side. It looks heavy."

"Considering how much body armor it provides while allowing for maximum mobility and agility, it is not as heavy as one may think. Master Bruce mostly complained of the heat factor- especially in the summer."

"Which is why I preferred lycra over latex any day," Barbara chuckled, remembering the few times she had given into donning the more protective material.

"And this costume?" Goliath asked nodding towards the brilliant colors stored reverently behind a separate glass case.

"This design was inspired by Master Dick when he was but a boy. He proudly wore the mantle of Robin before it passed to another." Sadness finally filled the older man's eyes, and a troubled look passed over the faces of those who knew Jason Todd. Alfred forced a smile, and sighed finally. "Perhaps one day, the Robin will fly once more."

"What's in those cases over there?" Dinah asked pointing to the still dark cases just beyond the reach of the lights.

"That, Miss Dinah, is my present to all of you," Alfred answered his smile growing more broadly as he moved forward once more to reveal the new costumes he had made for the small group of warriors.

There were stunned gasps, and Dick gave the older man a wink of approval as even Barbara blinked in surprise. "Good grief Alfred, where on earth did you find time to get these made up?"

"Trust me Miss Barbara, Mister Goliath and Mr. Hudson did more than just assist an aging butler with a few chores. Their invaluable help, allowed me enough time to program the needed specifications into the computer for the molds. I attempted to tailor each suit to each individual's needs- and styles," he added with a wink to Helena.

"Not bad Al," Helena grinned as she eyed what had to be her outfit. It was nearly identical to her current wardrobe, with just a few modifications. "And you let me keep my coat!"

"It is more than just a coat my dear. I won't bore you with the details, but needless to say it will provide sufficient protection for virtually any bullet fired at point blank range, as well as thermal attacks, and some protection against close range explosions. Unfortunately, I did not have enough sufficient data to redesign it to withstand a direct attack from one of the new weapons, so I would recommend you avoid any close range encounters."

"I'll keep that in mind- hey how come the kid's costume looks almost like mine?" Helena complained.

"Stop calling me that, and don't ruin the moment for me," Dinah said shoving Helena, though it was playful. Her eyes were bright with excitement as she eyed the costume. "This is so cool!"

Everyone echoed her sentiment with a chuckle. Alfred typed in a code on a nearby panel and the bulletproof glass on each case slid aside as the chambers extended outwards to allow each person access to their new wardrobe.

"I wouldn't even begin to know how to get into this thing," Reese laughed as he looked over the sturdy looking uniform that bore his name over an police shield insignia.

"Master Dick and Miss Barbara, perhaps you could accompany the detectives to the changing rooms and assist them with their new uniforms. I can assist Mister Goliath and Mister Hudson with the special armor I have provided for them."

"Sure thing Al," Dick answered as he clapped Reese on the shoulder and helped the detective remove the uniform and headed off to the men's changing area. Barbara nodded to the rest of the girls who did the same, leaving Goliath and Hudson behind with Alfred.

Both gargoyles were looking over the unfamiliar trappings with a mixed look of wonder and trepidation. "Ye think these contraptions will really work on us?"

"I have the utmost confidence that they will provide you with excellent protection without encumbering any of your abilities. While you were working down here, I had the sensors scan your anatomy and record your various movements in order to help calculate the design of the armor you see before you."

"You went to great lengths to help provide us with something so precious. Your generosity is...touching Alfred," Goliath told him sincerely. He was thinking more about Elisa than himself at the moment, though he knew Elisa was just as happy to see that he and Hudson would be provided extra protection against the myriad of weapons they were about to face tomorrow night.

"It is the least I can do, for those who are here to help protect my family. Besides, it's been ages since I've gotten the chance to stir up my creative juices. All this fancy equipment has just been sitting down here gathering dust. I love Miss Barbara like she was my own daughter, but she is rather insistent on doing things herself. Now, let me show you how to don the body armor."

Elisa stared at her reflection in the mirror and raised an eyebrow in surprise. Behind her Dinah and Helena let out appreciative whistles. Her gaze shifted past her own reflection towards where they were slipping on their long dusters and she smirked. "You gals don't look so bad either," she responded.

She had no idea exactly how Alfred had created the suit to fit her body so perfectly, but it hugged her curves like a second skin. True to Alfred's words, the dark latex wasn't nearly as heavy as she thought – she compared it to being decked out in her full riot gear. The suit was rather warm, as Barbara had warned, but it would help for tomorrow night's extended mission out in the cold weather.

What touched Elisa the most though, was the small symbol inscribed on her chest. Encircled in a deep lavender that was a perfect match for Goliath's skin color, was the shadow of a gargoyle. Her smile softened as her fingers reached up to trace the insignia.

Oracle watched the gesture with a soft smile of her own. Alfred had re-created her own Oracle symbol on the girls' uniforms, and her old friend's thoughtfulness had touched her as well. Dinah and Helena joined Elisa at the large full length mirror and all three turned and preened a couple of minutes more as they adjusted to their new digs, as Helena called them.

Suddenly Barbara giggled and everyone looked at her. "Sorry, but I was just watching what you were doing and I suddenly got this image of the three of you as Charlie's Angels."

As if on cue the three women struck the famous pose and all four women quickly dissolved into a bout of laughter before they finally exited the bathroom and headed towards the large gym.

Alfred looked over group with modest pride and smiled to himself. Yes he had done very well indeed. "Well, it appears you are all quite comfortable with your new costumes. If there is nothing else, I think I shall head upstairs to finish the dinner preparations."

"Thanks Al," Dick grinned. "What time will dinner be set?"

"Dinner will be ready at nine Master Dick."

"We'll be there."

"Please leave the suits in the locker rooms when you are finished. I will see to their cleaning and storage later on." With that, he gracefully moved to the elevator.

Elisa slid her glance sideways, and caught Goliath eyeing her body with more than an appreciative look. She turned her head towards him, and arched one eyebrow, smirking as he blushed a deeper color having been caught. Helena, who was standing next to him, snickered and whispered something to him that Elisa couldn't hear but made the gargoyle blush even deeper.

"Shall we hit the mat?" Dick said excitedly as he clapped his hands together in anticipation.

Helena smirked at him. "Looking forward to getting your ass kicked again?"

"I was going easy on you that night sis. Let's see how you handle the real Nightwing."

Helena snorted. "Obviously you didn't hear about my spar with G. I wouldn't be so confident if I were you Dick."

"And the betting begins," Barbara chuckled as she rolled over to the observation area as Dick and Helena claimed first match.

To his credit, Dick gave as good as he got. He had spent a lifetime learning from the best, and had more than a few tricks and moves up his sleeve that Helena had never been faced with before. But when he seemed to be getting the upper hand, Helena took things up a notch and hit Dick with a punch that would have broken ribs if he hadn't been wearing the body armor. As it was, he was slow to get up as he visibly forced himself to suck air back into his lungs. That's when Barbara called a halt to the fight.

"Told you I'd win."

"You know I had you until you decided to play dirty," Dick taunted.

Helena merely shrugged. "You never said it had to be clean."

"Whose next?" Dinah asked eager to hit the mat.

"How about you and......Detective Maza. No meta powers."

"What? But I thought-."

"Not this round Dinah. Dick has informed me that I've been a little neglectful in my training of you. I want to see how long you can hold your own against someone as well trained as Elisa without relying on your meta powers."

Dinah pouted a little, and Elisa chuckled as she stepped up onto the mat. "Don't worry Dinah. I don't think I'm quite as good as Barbara makes me out to be. Not after watching Dick and Helena fight."

Dinah snorted. "This from the woman who took Helena down in under a minute," she muttered as she rolled her eyes and stepped up onto the mat and took a ready stance.

The blonde managed to defend herself well, but as Elisa continued to press her, it became obvious that Dinah's skills in making effective attacks of her own were lacking. Within five minutes, Elisa had the young woman pinned to the ground in a position that left her completely open to a lethal blow. Dinah rolled to her feet, panting, and glowering at the dark-haired women who had barely broken a sweat.

"I'm not that good Dinah...don't worry...yeah right."

Elisa laughed. "Don't worry, I'm sure the tables will be turned the next time around."

Barbara chuckled, but deep down she cringed at what was an obvious reflection of her poor leadership this past year. She would definitely start to remedy that situation as soon as they were done with this mission. "Elisa feel like another round?"

"Come on Big Guy, it's been awhile since we've danced," Elisa grinned over at Goliath who was all too happy to comply.

Eyebrows went up all around at the obviously unequaled match. "Go easy on him this time lass1" Hudson snickered.

Goliath's eyebrows drew together in consternation at the ribbing, and he eyed his opponent seriously. "Yes, well this time I won't be as gentle."

Elisa smirked as she circled his massive mass warily. "Oh so you're saying you were going easy on me last time? Well bring it on Big Guy," she taunted.

"You should be careful for what you wish Elisa," he growled as his tail snaked out towards her feet as he leapt towards her small form.

Everyone cringed, waiting to see his massive body plowing into hers. But Elisa knew him too well, and spun and dropped just out of reach. She was in her feet before he had a chance to shift his bulk in her direction and delivered a swift kick to his heel, causing him to stagger. Then she was out of his tail's reach once more, dancing lightly away, a taunting grin spread across her face.

Goliath glowered for a moment, and then grinned back at her, baring his fangs in challenge. Off on the sidelines, Helena was hit with a sudden change in their scents and blinked rapidly as she forced herself to tune it out.

"You ok?" Barbara asked looking up at her protégé.

"Yeah but this match is gonna end up with them either killing each other or ripping their clothes off each other. Please stop it before it gets to that point," Helena chuckled shaking her head.

"So I guess that means I shouldn't let you spar with Reese then?"

"And let Elisa have the only fun here? You wouldn't be that cruel now would you?" Helena mock pouted.

Barbara let out a low throaty laugh, recalling a few 'sparring' matches she and Dick had shared years ago in this very room. Elisa flying across the room, immediately drew her attention back to the fight. Surprisingly, the detective landed in a controlled roll and was back on her feet and facing a perturbed looking gargoyle.

"Thought you weren't going to be gentle with me Goliath?"

Hudson nearly choked as Elisa's audacity, and the group had now broken into a cheering section, and it was basically men verses women. Barbara was fascinated by the fact that Elisa was holding her own against someone with Goliath's speed and power, and studied her moves with a critical and practiced eye.

The detective allowed her larger opponent to lead most of the attacks, and countered nearly every move with a defense and then a quick counter attack of her own before she would move out of range. Despite her earlier comments, Elisa was no slouch when it came to fighting. Her stance, speed, agility, and well placed blows spoke of years of hard and dedicated training. She knew her opponent well, and pressed every advantage and exploited every weakness at her disposal.

Finally, Goliath seemed to have caught her off-guard as his tail wrapped around her waist and threw her down to the mat with enough force to knock the breath from her lungs. Goliath pounced on her, his deadly talons pricking the flesh around her neck. Elisa forced air into her lungs, finding the task extremely difficult for more than one reason as his hot breath panted near her ear.

"Yield," he growled playfully at her.

A shiver went up her spine, and if the circumstances were any different, Elisa might have been inclined to press the issue a little further. But she relaxed her body, and chuckled. "The match is yours Big Guy."

Barbara's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the two get back to their feet, and her eyes took in Elisa's expression. She quickly replayed the take-down in her mind and snorted to herself. Elisa had purposely let her guard down. Elisa laughed as the others clapped, and her eyes briefly caught Barbara's. The red head raised an eyebrow, Elisa shrugged, Barbara chuckled, and then Elisa winked.

There were several more pair-ups, though Barbara held Dinah back despite the teen's protests. After everyone had at least two matches on the mat, Barbara looked over at Dick who smiled and nodded. Barbara took a deep breath and held it for a second, her face flickering with some hesitation.

"Trust me," he whispered as he walked past her and tapped Dinah on the shoulder and pulled her off to the side.

Dinah looked over at the others who were taking a short break and then back up at Dick, frustration in her eyes. "It's not fair Dick. I may not be able to take them without my powers yet but-."

"That was my fault Dinah. After working with you this past week, I felt I had to say something to Babs. She's in charge of you girls Dinah, and it's her job to make sure you're trained enough to defend yourself completely. There are too many what-ifs in this job Dinah. What if your powers fail you one night? Before we let you loose in a couple of minutes, I had to show her that there are still some areas that she needs to work on with you."

Dinah frowned, puzzled. "Turn me loose?"

"You're up next kid," Dick grinned as he gestured towards the group.

Dinah's eyes widened. "Against all of you?"

"We weren't letting you sit out all those matches for nothing."

"You really think I can handle this many?"

"Just remember what we've been practicing this past week. Breathe and focus."

"Let my body become an extension of my mind," Dinah repeated softly as her heart began to race with the thrill of anticipation.

"Take a minute to center yourself, I'll go get the others geared up."

Dinah took a steadying breath and settled herself on the floor on her knees as she closed her eyes and began the breathing techniques Dick had taught her the past week. Dick strode over to the others and gestured to the wall of practice weapons they had displayed.

"Choose your weapons ladies and gentlemen."

"What's up with the kid?" Helena asked looking back at the blonde who was kneeling motionlessly in the corner of the room.

"She's getting ready to kick our collective butts."

Helena snorted. "You're kidding right? I mean I know you said she's gotten good, but all of us? Armed?"

"Yes," Dick answered nonchalantly as he perused the rack and hefted a sturdy quarterstaff and twirled it experimentally.

Goliath looked over at the girl and frowned as well. "Do you think it is wise to press her this hard before a critical battle?"

"Babs will halt the fight if need be, but I doubt that will happen. Dinah needs to have her mettle tested before tomorrow night, and the only way she will find out just how powerful she's gotten is by having us test her limits- no holds barred."

His gaze fixed on Helena, Goliath and Hudson. Helena eyes widened. "You want us to attack her at full strength?"

"I'll let you be the judge of whether or not it is safe to do so. But I think you'll find out quickly that full strength will be needed. Looks like she's ready, I'd arm yourselves if I were you."

Only Helena and Goliath refrained from choosing a weapon, the rest found something they were familiar with and formed a loose circle on the mat. Dinah walked up onto the mat and met Dick's eyes for a brief second. He smiled and nodded confidently to her and she felt herself relax and grinned back. Then she closed her eyes and bent her head forward as she expanded her mind beyond her body to feel the presence of the others.

Eyes still closed, she raised her head back up and gestured for them to attack. Dick raised his hand and in a silent signal they all surged forward at once. Dinah 'saw' them come at her and leapt straight upwards, somersaulted over Elisa and Reese, and knocked both of them to the mat with a tk shove as she landed behind them. The two detectives rolled away as the rest of the group shifted, and several weapons bore down on Dinah with blinding speed.

Dinah blocked Dick's staff with one arm grabbed it, and yanked it from his grip as she kick-blocked Hudson's sword. She dropped low, spun in one powerfully fluid movement and brought Helena and Dick to the ground before they could jump back. Goliath and Hudson charged her – one high, one low- but Dinah planted the staff onto the floor, held it in place as firmly as any pole and swung around it her body parallel with the ground in a gravity defying act. Her feet connected with both gargoyles, and the two were sent back a couple of steps surprised.

The group reformed it's circle around her, and this time she let them come. Off to the side, Barbara forgot to breathe as she watched the teenager fight with a ferocity and skill she had never seen before. It was glaringly obvious that Dinah had spent many hours honing her telekinetic skills, and with Dick's guidance, she had learned to harness that power to turn her body into a lethal fighting machine.

Dinah spun, ducked, kicked, and jabbed, with a speed, precision, and power that no one was able to match- even Helena and Goliath. The most striking thing to Barbara was that Dinah still had her eyes closed. She was relying completely on her meta abilities, and the girl was showing no signs of tiring yet.

Reese was the first to duck out of the fight and Elisa finally backed off both panting hard and exhausted. Dick and Hudson lasted several minutes longer, then left Goliath and Helena alone with Dinah. The fight stalled for a moment as the two remaining opponents looked at each other and nodded in silent consent.

Dinah took the moment to catch her breath, and knew she had purely wanton grin on her face. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, and power coursed through every fiber of her being. The battle rush climbed even higher when she felt both Helena and Goliath slip into their most primal modes and came at her with inhuman speed and strength.

"Jesus Dick, they'll kill her!" Barbara gasped as she watched Goliath's eyes flare white and Helena's slipped into Huntress mode as they charged the blonde.

Everyone else seemed to echo Barbara's concern, but Dick just smiled confidently. "Just watch Babs," he told her softly.

Dinah blasted both of her attackers back and then launched herself towards Huntress. The two women became locked in a battle of blows that were almost too fast to see. The only thing that was clear, even after Goliath joined the fray, was that Dinah had yet to be hit. Goliath and Huntress were taking a decent beating however and Barbara finally cleared her throat.

"I've seen enough," she told Dick in an abnormally shaky voice. Dick looked down at Barbara surprised to see that the redhead's face had gone pale.

"What's wrong Babs?"

"Later," Barbara whispered. "Have them stop."

Dick stepped up onto the mat and cleared his throat. "Alright guys, times up!" The fighting continued, as the combatants continued to be caught up in the heat of their battle rush.

Dick chuckled and looked back at the others. "You might want to put on your breathing masks. They're in the second compartment to the left on your belts," he told them as he tossed Barbara one of his spare ones as he took out a small smoke ball.

He threw the ball into the middle of the fight, and it blew with a small flash as smoke quickly obscured the three combatants from view. The sounds of the fight finally stopped as it was replaced with coughing and a few choice words from Helena. The cloud dissipated a minute later, and three weary looking individuals staggered towards to the edge of the mat.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Helena grumbled between coughs.

"You guys were way beyond hearing me telling you to stop and I sure as hell wasn't going to get in the middle of that meat grinder."

"Chicken."

"No just smart."

"What'd we stop for anyways? I was just getting ready to finish them," Dinah panted with a smug grin.

Goliath snorted, and Helena threw a 'you wish' at the teen. "Dinner is gonna be ready and Alfred will have my hide if we're late," Dick answered, interrupting the ensuing trash talking.

"Oh good, I'm starving!" Dinah declared, her smile brightening at the mention of food.

"When are you not starving?" Barbara chuckled, having regained her composure. "You guys get cleaned up and I'll let Alfred know you'll be up in a little bit."

Dick began peeling off his gloves as he lead the guys towards the locker room. "Man you guys are in for a treat tonight! Alfred goes all out on the holiday spreads. He makes the BEST cranberry sauce-."

Wayne Manor

New Gotham

Midnight

Dick padded barefoot throughout the Manor, searching for Barbara who had excused herself almost an hour ago from the group. He smiled a little to himself as the empty halls carried the faint sounds of their guests' currant activities. Not that he blamed them. It was obvious that the other two couples had finally taken the final steps over the past week, and who knew what tomorrow night would bring.

When Barbara was no where to be found in the manor, he ventured downstairs. As his feet hit the bottom of the stairwell, he heard Barbara's grunt, followed by the sounds of a punching bag being abused from the gym. Silently, he approached the entrance to the gym, and hid in the shadows as he took in the sight before him.

Barbara had shed her blouse, leaving her in a sweat soaked wife beater t-shirt. Her fiery hair was plastered around her face, as she attacked the heavy bag with her bare fists. Dick could she the bruises forming on her knuckles, and the bag was smeared red where she had split at least one of them open. Tears streamed down her face openly, and she began to attack the bag with what Dick could only imagine was uncontrolled rage and pain. She shoved the heavy bag, and as it swung back towards her she rammed her fist through the canvas material with a scream that made Dick jump.

Suddenly the room was quiet, only the soft sounds of sand spilling onto the floor and Barbara's harsh breathing echoed in the room. Her shoulders slumped, she withdrew her bleeding hand, and then she slid bonelessly to the floor with a sob.

Dick was by her side in an instant, cradling her to him as he let her vent her emotions. Her body wracking sobs finally dissolved into hiccups after awhile, but Dick said nothing as he continued to just hold and comfort her. Long minutes later, Barbara sniffled and then released a shaky sigh against his chest. "How can you do this for me after everything I put you through?" she asked in regret.

"Because I love you Barbara," he told her sincerely as he brushed some of her wet hair aside so that he could look into her green eyes. "We've been through so much together, and I knew you just needed time...we both did."

She looked away, but his thumb gently drew her chin back up so he could lean down and kiss her tenderly. "You've always been there for me Babs, and I will always be here for you. Never doubt that."

"I don't," she breathed.

They shared another few minutes of silence, and then he looked back down at her. "You want to tell me what this was all about?" he asked gently.

Barbara shrugged her shoulders, looking tired and beaten. "A little self pity and a lot of self chastisement."

Dick gave a dry chuckle. "We're always the hardest on ourselves. And when we revel in a little self pity that we richly deserve, it only makes the problem worse doesn't it?"

Barbara nodded and snorted. "Damn him, but that's his training coming back to haunt me once again."

"Barbara, trust me, it's okay to be angry with what happened."

"I just....after watching all of you spar tonight, and I couldn't join you....." Barbara sighed sadly. "I just miss it so damn much Dick," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

"Hey, shhhhh, it's okay. Don't be ashamed Babs. I can't even begin to image how hard it's been for you. I mean the fact that you trained the girls and work night after night with them, not being able to be out there with them... God Barbara you are so much stronger than any of us," he told her, his own voice tightening with emotion as he squeezed her tightly.

"You have every right to be hurt and angry from time to time. But that's not all there was to this was it?"

She snorted. "You know me too damn well Dick Grayson. No, that's not everything. I feel like I've failed them this past year. God Bruce would have killed me if he knew I let his daughter and another trainee go out so unprepared. We were lucky this year Dick.....lucky that Helena's anger didn't blind her so much that she missed something. Lucky that Dinah was able to train herself when I failed to keep her training regular. I missed so much, and tonight was a hard dose of reality for me."

Dick smiled and chuckled. "Well if it's any consolation, Dinah wouldn't have been able to pull off what she did tonight two weeks ago."

"That only makes it worse," Barbara sighed. "That means she's had the power to accomplish this for a long time, she just needed a little guidance to help her learn how to focus it."

"Well you nearly broke your hand destroying my favorite punching bag, so why don't we forget about this past year and start fresh? New Year's is only a week away, so how about we start our resolutions."

"How about having a better year?"

"That's too broad. Why not make it a little more specific...like....I will not break any more of Dick's punching bags."

Barbara giggled, some of her anger and grief dissipating. "Last time I checked this was still His Manor and His gym."

"I think you'd rather it be my bag that you broke instead of his."

Barbara pondered it for a moment and then grinned. "True, you can't give me the 'glare of death'."

"So what other resolutions do you want to make?"

Barbara sobered as she pondered that question. "I resolve never to drive you away again," she told him sincerely.

He smiled broadly, his blue eyes twinkling. "I think that's a pretty good start to a new year."

"Do you now?" she chuckled, poking him.

"Sure, I mean I can cook, clean, torture Helena for you, defend your honor, and did I mention that I was loaded?"

"Since when can you cook and clean?"

"Ok so I have a butler for those things, but I can still torture Helena for you."

"That alone might be worth the trouble of keeping you around. It seems she has grown immune to me over the years."

"Oh now you're just 'keeping me around' like some plaything?"

"You bet Tight Buns," Barbara grinned as she pulled his head down for a deep kiss. When they surface for air several minutes later, Dick was grinning wickedly at her.

"Perhaps we should test this arrangement to make sure it's working well by the time the new year rolls around."

Barbara's answer was to fall backwards onto the mat, yanking him with her as her fingers dug into his scalp to close the distance between their lips.

Elisa lay on Goliath's massive chest, wrapped in the warmth of his arms and wings, as she listened to the steady beating of his heart. His talons ran idly through her long hair, and a contented purr rumbled his chest, causing her to smile in amusement. It was a sound she had never heard him make before the other night, and it was one that she was quickly finding adorable.

She moved her head so that she was looking up into his eyes and grinned when she saw his almost goofy expression. "Happy Big Guy?"

"More than you could ever know Elisa," he answered his palm cupping the side of her face. For the first time since I woke in this new world I truly feel at peace with myself. Thank you."

She smiled softly at him as she shifted her face so as to press a searing kiss into his palm. "I think I should be the one thanking you Big Guy," she whispered. "After all this time, you were still here for me when I was finally ready."

Elisa laid her head back on his chest as she wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. "I know how exactly how you feel. It may sound corny, but I never knew what love was until I met you. I can't imagine what my life might have been like if I hadn't met you."

"Probably very boring," he grinned.

Elisa laughed. "We have had some pretty crazy adventures together haven't we?"

"Crazy does not even begin to describe some of the things we have seen these past few years."

"Yeah well like I said before, I wouldn't trade them for the world. They've made us into who we are today...what we've become despite all the odds against us," she told him sincerely as she placed a tender kiss on his sternum.

Goliath shivered under her touch, and his arms tightened around her unconsciously for a second. "Elisa," he growled softly, drawing her eyes up towards his glowing orbs. His expression softened, almost saddened for a moment as he forced out his next words. "Tomorrow night....I fear for all of our safety tomorrow night. You've been pushing yourself so hard this past year-."

"Shhhh," she interrupted quietly. "Trust me, Goliath. I'm scared to death about what is going to happen, but we've face down worse odds and tougher enemies together. I know you're worried about me, and I can't make any promises to you just as I know I can't ask you to promise me anything. All that matters to me is that you're here with me now, and the world has granted us this one quiet moment to share something that will never die - no matter what happens tomorrow night."

A single tear streaked down her cheek, and his talon quickly wiped it away. The love her felt at that moment made his heart feel like it was going to burst. He tried to form a response, to tell her how much a part of his soul she was, but words seemed too inadequate. So he simply showed her.

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

Midnight

Owen Burnett sat up in bed the second he heard his door open. He reached for his glasses, and blinked away his sleep as a small form shuffled across the carpet, sniffling. "Alex?"

"I had the nightmare again Uncle Puck," Alex said in a tiny, frightened voice as he hugged his stuffed gargoyle to his shaking body.

Owen sighed and patted the bed, inviting the child to climb up next to him. Within seconds the child was clutching his mentor tightly. Owen shifted into his true form as the Puck, and brushed his hand soothingly through the child's red hair.

"Now, now..... I told you that not all visions of the future would be pleasant," Puck explained. "You know there's going to be a big battle tomorrow night, so there's bound to be lot's of scary things happening in your dreams."

The boy shook his head, eyes wide with horror. "No...this was much worse," he whispered. Puck frowned.

"Show me."

The images he was presented with were far worse than he had imagined. Especially the final ones. "We hafta do something Uncle Puck!" the boy cried after he showed Puck what he had Seen.

Puck cleared his throat, and shook his head. "I'm sorry Alex, but it is forbidden."

"But-."

"No!" Puck snapped. Alex jumped, and then whimpered. Puck sighed and softened his tone. "I'm sorry my boy. I wish there was some way around this one, but not even Oberon can change Fate's timeline. It is the single law that cannot be bent or broken.....I had hoped this lesson would have been farther off."

"Can't we say anything? Warn them?"

Puck shook his head. "You must never speak of this to any of them. If you say anything before, you could change their destiny and that could rip apart the very fabric of the universe. If you say anything afterwards, they will hate you because they cannot gasp why we held back the information."

"I'm scared," Alex whispered as he buried his head into Puck's chest.

"Shhhh, it'll be ok my boy. You'll see...everything will work out," he soothed as he pushed a mild sleeping spell over the child's tired mind. "They'll move on, just as they always do....." he whispered as the toddler relaxed in his arms and slipped into a dreamless sleep.


	13. Final Countdown

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has R&R so far! Feel free to continue letting me know what you enjoyed and what you think I improve.

RMB

December 25

Castle Wyvern

Mid Morning

David Xanatos sipped his coffee and smiled as he watched his son contentedly play with the wrapping paper and boxes that his Christmas gifts had been packed in. "See?" his wife chuckled as she curled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You could have gotten him socks for Christmas so long as they came in a great big box with lots of wrapping."

Xanatos chuckled and shook his head. "All my research into the best present for his age has been undone by cardboard."

"Don't worry, when he gets tired of it he'll have to find something else to play with sweetie."

A dark eyebrow arched her way and she kissed him on the cheek with a smirk. "So is everything ready for tonight's little party?"

"Owen finished all the preparation last night."

"Do you really think it's wise to allow him to take our son down there?" Fox asked, her maternal concerns creasing her brow a bit as they watched their toddler play quietly with his newly acquired possessions.

Xanatos shrugged. "Owen says he'll be perfectly safe. Besides we've seen just how quickly Alex has progressed these past two years. By the way, did you know I found him in Owen's room again this morning?"

"Another nightmare?"

"Yes, and whatever it was, it had Owen unnerved as well," Xanatos answered quietly, disturbed.

"Owen? You're kidding right?" Fox asked in disbelief.

Xanatos shook his head, his eyes meeting his wife's to let her know he was very serious. "Alex's nightmares have been getting worse this past week, and I think they know something is going to happen tonight."

"Have you asked him?"

"I didn't have a chance, Alex woke up as soon as I came into the room. But I intend to."

Fox was silent for a little while and then she sighed. "I've been having dreams too," she admitted quietly. David's head snapped around as he stared at his wife.

"They're not clear...not like Alex's has been. I think maybe I'm picking up on what he might be projecting. But...I think something bad is going to happen tonight." She swallowed and looked away. "I keep hoping I'm wrong and that I'm just worried about not having the Clan here tonight."

"Do you think something bad is going to happen here?"

Fox shook her head confidently. "No. That much I'm sure of."

Alex came bounding towards his parents with his arms full of new toys, and the parents quickly ended their conversation. "I'll talk to Owen later," Xanatos murmured before smiling at his son and indulging his excitement.

Wayne Manor

New Gotham

Mid Morning.....

Elisa awoke to sunlight streaming through the curtains, and closed her eyes as she stretched luxuriously. For the first time in almost two years, she felt at peace with herself. Her mate was crouched just to the side of their bed, a tender look etched on his face for the remainder of the day. Her mate. The phrase rolled around in her head and she grinned.

God she had been so stupid to question their love for so long. Last night had been incredible- for both of them. Glancing at her watch, Elisa yawned and forced herself to climb from the plush bedding. The crispness of the massive room in the winter morning caused her to gasp as her bare feet padded across cold wooden flooring. She quickly made her way to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she smiled again. Gone were the dark circles, the defeated look, and the weight of the world she had been carrying. The woman that smirked back at her, was the real Elisa Maza - someone she hadn't seen for a long time.

As she went about getting ready for the day, she mentally went over the last minute preparations she had to take care of that afternoon. She paused halfway through, and snorted in mild surprise. Here she was, planning for one of the biggest fights of her life, and despite the odds against her and her companions, she wasn't worried or afraid. It was amazing the spirit Goliath had helped breath back into her. She felt ready to face anything.

As she made her way downstairs, only Alfred was around to greet her. "Good Morning Detective. I trust you slept well last night?"

Elisa blushed slightly. "Um, yeah I did."

Alfred smiled knowingly, causing her to blush further. "Excellent. I have prepared breakfast for everyone, but Miss Dinah is the only other to have awaken."

"Well I'm starving, so I'll be more than happy to help put a dent in whatever you've made."

"I have a place set in the kitchen, unless you'd prefer a more formal setting-."

"The kitchen will do just fine for a simple girl like me Alfred," Elisa chuckled.

"I doubt you are hardly a 'simple' woman Detective."

Elisa laughed. "A few people I know might agree with you on that."

Alfred lead her into the kitchen where Dinah was enjoying a healthy stack of pancakes drowned in syrup. The young woman smiled up at Elisa and waved her over. "Hey there! I thought you'd still be sleeping for another few hours like the rest," she told Elisa with a teasing smirk.

"Yeah well, sunrise is an alarm clock I can't compete with," Elisa admitted with a wry grin.

"Miss Dinah I do not believe that is an appropriate topic for some one your age," Alfred scolded mildly as he poured Elisa a cup of coffee.

"Oh come on Alfred. It's not like everyone was QUIET last night. You'd have to be either dead or deaf to have not known that this place turned into the honeymoon suite last night."

Alfred cleared his throat as Elisa nearly choked on the coffee she was just beginning to sip. "None-the-less, it is not an appropriate topic for discussion at the breakfast table."

"Yeah I guess it is a little early for teasing huh? Ok I'll save it for lunch."

Elisa burst out laughing, Alfred sighed and walked away shaking his head and muttering something about corrupted young minds. Dinah grinned over at Elisa who merely shook her own head and dug into her own breakfast.

"Sorry if we kept you up last night," she apologized between mouthfuls.

Dinah shrugged. "Hudson actually kept me up most of the night anyway. I managed to wear him down and he took me out gliding again. Then we sat by the fire for the rest of the night while he told me all about the Clan. You guys have been through some crazy stuff."

"You got that right. You know when all of this is over with, we should all take a vacation someplace warm and tropical where we can sip from drinks with little umbrellas and swap adventures."

"Now that sounds like an excellent idea."

"You were amazing last night by the way."

Dinah blushed and poked at her food a bit shy about Elisa's open admiration. "Yeah well only because I used my meta abilities. I mean you've kicked just about everyone else's ass-." Alfred cleared his throat and Dinah grinned. "Butt," she amended. "In fact I think you threw that fight with Goliath night. Hudson agreed."

Elisa gave her an innocent look that Dinah didn't buy for one second. "That's what I thought."

"Hey don't put yourself down. We all rely on what makes us the strongest. You've only been at this for a couple of years. I've been doing this job for over a decade, and have been training in the arts since I was a kid. It's all about gaining experience, and only time will improve skill. What you did with you meta powers was incredible- especially considering you don't have some one to teach you how to harness and control that power. Trust me, I've seen what happens when the kind of power you possess goes unchecked. You've come a long way in such a short time. Be proud of that."

Dinah smiled, a bit sadly. "I just wish my mom could have seen what I've done."

Elisa reached over and squeezed her hand. "She may not be here to see it in person, but she knows."

"More insight from your travels?"

"I think there is very little left in this world or the next for me to see," Elisa answered simply.

They were quiet for awhile after that, enjoying their breakfast before Alfred came over to join them and they chatted idly for another hour before Elisa excused herself to make a call.

"Dracon."

"It's Elisa."

"Hey Sugar, I was just thinking about you."

"I'm touched," Elisa told him dryly.

A dramatic sigh. "I would absolutely love to take you up on that offer, but I prefer to keep my arm attached to its body. So what can I do for you?"

"I need....equipment."

"Ah I see. What kind of work is being done?" he asked, going along with the game of anonymity.

"Demolition."

"That's dangerous work Sugar. Are you sure you want to bring that kind of equipment to an already volatile area?"

"It has to be done. We only have so much manpower, and we need to keep everything centralized. The demolition equipment will take care of any loose ends that we can't cover."

"How much are we looking at?"

"As much as you can get your hands on."

There was a pause and then a surprised chuckle. "Sweetheart, ain't it a little late to be trying something like this? I mean how are you even going to get that much placed by the deadline?"

"Don't worry about my end Dracon. Can you deliver?"

"It's going to cost me, but yes," he sighed finally.

"How long?"

"Give me two hours."

Elisa blinked. "That's it?"

She could hear the smugness back in Tony's voice when he answered. "I'm a many of many talents Sugar. I'm sure you'll enjoy getting to know me better in the future. I'll contact you in a couple of hours and we can arrange a meeting time."

"I'll be waiting."

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan New York

Early Afternoon

"Everything is in place sir."

"Our mole?"

"He'll be ready to guard the front desk at the appropriate time."

Xanatos allowed a small cold smile to pass across his lips. "A little retribution of our own for the inconveniences I'll be caused. Damage estimate?"

"Less than half a million. We have cleared out all of floor one hundred, so any damage done will be cosmetic. I have already scheduled for clean-up and moving crews to be present early tomorrow to start repairs."

"Excellent. Efficient as always Owen," the executive commented as he swiveled his chair around to fix his assistant with a piercing look.

Silence filled the office, and Owen finally did something he had never done before. He flinched under Xanatos' look. It wasn't so much a physical flinch. But Xanatos caught the slight tensing in Owen's jaw before he cleared his throat and asked to be excused so he could finish other duties.

"In all the years I've know you, not once have you ever hidden something as reluctantly as you are doing right now."

Owen stiffened.

"Owen, I think we have been through far too much together for you to be holding out on me now. These nightmares my son has been having, were you aware that my wife is sensing something as well?"

Another throat clearing, and Xanatos swore Owen looked panicked for a moment. "I was unaware that Mrs. Xanatos had been experiencing the dreams as well. I take it you know what is going to happen tonight then."

"Actually I don't," Xanatos admitted as he sat back in his chair. "Fox's dreams aren't that clear. She just knows that something bad is going to happen tonight. As you can imagine, I'm more than a little concerned given the fact that we are allowing the Clan to leave while I allow a small army storm my castle. Not to mention I have given you permission to use this little incident as a training exercise for Alex."

"I would never endanger Alexander," Owen said in a tone that hovered on the edge of offense.

"I didn't think you would. Which leads me to believe that whatever is going to happen, will not occur here. Fox hasn't been able to pick up specifics, but she knows that it's more than someone getting injured. Who is it Owen?"

Owen's jaw clenched tightly this time, and Xanatos saw a sadness fill the blonde man's face that he had never seen before. "I'm sorry David, but I cannot answer that question."

"Cannot or will not."

"In this case I cannot. Believe me when I say that I wish I could change the course of tonight's events. But even Lord Oberon himself is forbidden from meddling in this area. There are certain things that cannot be changed or the very fabric of the universe would be undone."

Xanatos looked down at his desk, frowning deeply as Owen's words sank in. "Does Alex know what is going to happen tonight then?"

"I'm afraid so. But I must ask that not question the boy. He is already having a difficult time accepting the heavy responsibility of the knowledge he now possesses. It would be best if he thought that no one else knew."

Xanatos scowled. "You know this doesn't sit well with me."

"Trust me sir, it sits even worse with Alex and I. Be happy that you will never carry the burden of guilt that we will. Now if you will excuse me, I have some final chores to finish before Alex and I prepared for tonight's exercise."

Xanatos swung away from Owen, and waved the man away with a frustrated gesture. Owen sighed quietly to himself and then walked towards the door. He paused just as his hand touched the handle. "There is one thing you can do sir."

Xanatos spun quickly, an eyebrow arched in hope that the disguised trickster had figured out some loophole. "Yes?"

"Be at Pier 15 at exactly 3:23 am. No sooner, no later."

"Are you going to tell me what to expect?"

"The worst," was all Owen answered grimly before he left.

The multi-billionaire dropped his head into his hands and swore softly. A moment later his wife walked in from the next room, having heard every word of the conversation. "David?" she asked worriedly.

"I need to get my battle suit ready," he responded flatly, standing abruptly and brushing by his startled wife as he felt the sudden need to be alone.

Wayne Manor

New Gotham

1:00 p.m.

Elisa took a deep breath and knocked solidly on the heavy door. "Reese it's Elisa. I'm sorry to bother you, but I need to talk to you."

There was the sounds of some shuffling and then a half asleep Reese answered the door, a sheet wrapped around his waist as he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. "What's up?" he asked, smiling as Helena mumbled something unintelligible from within the dark room.

"I'm sorry to do this to you, but you need to get dressed. We have to leave early to meet Tony."

Reese frowned. "What time is it?"

"One in the afternoon. He got what we needed, and we need to get down there early if we're gonna blend in enough."

"Alright give me ten minutes," he sighed.

Elisa nodded and headed back downstairs where Barbara and Dick were enjoying a quiet cup of coffee. "Care to join us?" Barbara asked gesturing to an empty seat at the kitchen table.

"Thanks but I had breakfast awhile ago. Actually, Reese and I have to leave."

"What? Why?" Barbara asked sitting up straight. Tonight's mission was too important and dangerous to change plans so close to the deadline.

Elisa took a deep breath. "We're going in early, undercover."

"This close to delivery? That place will be crawling today!" Barbara exclaimed.

"Listen Reese and I made ourselves very visible around that place these last two weeks. A lot of those soldiers harassed us like they did with everyone else down there. We'll just be another familiar face in the crowd. If something changes, or something goes down, you're gonna need someone down there to let you know what's happening. Reese and I can do that, but we have to get there now before it gets too late."

Barbara frowned. "I don't like this."

"Don't worry. We know what we're doing. Everything will be fine."

"Do you have a backup plan in case something goes wrong?" Dick asked calmly as he sipped his coffee.

"Yeah, we've talked about it."

Oracle frowned. "You two have been planning this all along? Why wait until now to tell us?"

Elisa snorted. "You honestly think Helena and Goliath would stand by and let us go down their on our own this late into the game?"

"And we're any different?"

"Yeah, you will be logical about it and realize that what I just said makes perfect sense."

Dick chuckled dryly and shook his head. "She's been here two weeks and she already has you figured out Babs."

Reese walked in and Barbara scowled at him. "Helena is going to have my head when she finds out I let you two do this."

"Would it help if we pretend to sneak out?" he asked with a knowing grin.

"Somehow I doubt she'd believe that. Be careful you two," she sighed.

"We will do our best." Elisa looked over at Reese who nodded. "One last thing. No matter what happens tonight, proceed with the plan as discussed. Do not jeopardize the mission on account of us."

The kitchen filled with silence as both Reese and Elisa fixed the other couple with a determined look. Barbara finally nodded, her jaw set unhappily. "Let's just try not to let it come to that okay?" she asked quietly.

"Good luck tonight," Reese said clasping hands with Dick before leaning down to hug Barbara.

"You too. See you all on the flip side," Dick returned with a hopeful smile.

They would all need every bit of luck they could get tonight.


	14. Places Everyone

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! I know this chapter is a little short and it kinda breezes through the last few hours. But I'm excited to get through the next couple of chapters, so this is a 'filler' to get us up to the big battles. Don't worry I won't keep you waiting too long!

Reba

Wayne Manor

New Gotham

Sunset

Goliath and Hudson sensed something was amiss the moment they woke up. The small group that was gathered down in the cave greeted them tentatively, and Helena looked downright pissed. "Where's Elisa?" Goliath asked, sensing her presence missing immediately.

"She and Reese left this afternoon to head back down to the docks," Barbara sighed.

"What?!" he growled, his tail lashing unhappily.

"I was hoping that she had told you last night of their intentions, but it seems you were kept in the dark as much as we were."

"Why would she risk going there in daylight, today of all days?"

"They were going to go back undercover, and said they would try to infiltrate Quinn's ranks."

"Something else is going on there Barbara," Helena snapped. "I overheard Elisa say they were meeting that Dracon guy, but I was half asleep and didn't understand what was going on until I came down to find out they both had left."

Goliath growled again, and his eyes flashed. "Dracon," he hissed.

"Well I guess this changes things a bit now doesn't it lass?" Hudson sighed.

"Elisa said to proceed as planned and not to wait on them. I didn't know they were meeting Dracon, or I might have insisted on them staying and sticking to the plan. I'm sorry Goliath."

Hudson chuckled however and shook his head. "Och, don' blame yourself lass. We've gotten quite used to Elisa changin' things on us last minute."

"Aye, but it doesn't usually involve secret meetings with crime lords. Elisa is usually up to something when she does this, and she's gone out of her way to hide what it is this time. I agree with Helena that something else is going on, and with Dracon's involvement, it doesn't bode well," Goliath grumbled.

Barbara sighed. "Well there is nothing we can do now. They're both wearing their new suits under their rags, so I've been able to monitor their movements. But they disappeared underground about a half hour ago, and I haven't been able to raise either of them. It's too late now to make any changes, and they are relying on us to keep to the schedule."

"I am so gonna kick Reese's ass when we are done," Helena fumed before she strode off towards the gym.

"Indeed," Goliath agreed. "I think it's time I talked with Elisa about these last minute changes."

Hudson snorted. "Good luck lad."

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

7:00pm

After sharing a quite breakfast, the Clan assembled in the large common room with the Xanatos's and Owen.

The Clan's Second in Command looked over the somber group and understood their discomfort. It wasn't that they were about to go into a fierce and deadly battle with the odds definitely against them. But they were about to leave their ancestral home unprotected and in the hands of a man that they had only just started to trust, even after all these years.

"Are you sure the castle's defenses are adequate enough to take care of the intruders."

Xanatos flashed Brooklyn his trademark confident smirk. "Don't worry Brooklyn. They aren't even going to reach the castle. The entire trap has been laid several floors down in the Aerie and everything is in place."

"I still don't like this," Brooklyn stated for the hundredth time.

"I understand how much it goes against your grain to leave the castle, but I assure you that it's far from unprotected. Now Matt called a little while ago and said everything was set on his end."

"Dracon's men?"

"Are already in place."

The phone rang, and most everyone jumped a bit, revealing just how strung up everyone was. Owen pulled the cell out of his pocket and answered it. Then he held it out to Brooklyn who took it carefully.

"Brooklyn."

"How are things progressing?" Goliath asked.

"Looks like everything is ready to go and Xanatos has assured me that the castle will be fine."

Goliath detected the hesitance in his Second's voice and smiled. "Don't worry then Brooklyn. Xanatos is a man of many means, and he will not let any harm come to his family or our home."

"So how does it look on your end?"

There was a pause. "Elisa has disappeared again."

Brooklyn let out an amused chuckle. "And you expected anything less?" he teased. Elisa had a bad habit of doing that, and he secretly loved her for that because no one could ruffle Goliath's feathers like she could.

"I suppose I shouldn't have. Other than that, we are as prepared as we can be." There was another pause, and he could hear Goliath moving. "Brooklyn, I have not been very forthcoming about our odds here tonight-."

"Yeah Matt filled me in," Brooklyn said as he too moved away from the others for more privacy.

"I fear a grate deal for Elisa's safety, more so than mine, but I realize that such concerns much be put aside soon. But if something should happen to either of us I want you to know that I do not fear for the Clan's well being under your leadership. You have grown into a fine Second and have proven yourself a capable leader."

Brooklyn's throat tightened at Goliath's words even as his chest filled with pride. "I learned from the best. But I'm not in any hurry to assume that role so take care of yourself ok?"

"I will try. May I speak with my daughter?"

"Hang on a sec." Brooklyn turned and nodded to Angela and held up the phone.

She detached herself from the group and took the phone as Brooklyn left her alone. "Father?"

"It is good to hear your voice Angela. We have missed you a great deal." She could hear his smile over the phone and felt her own lips tug upwards.

"How is everyone?"

"Very good. Even Hudson's spirits have lifted. Training with these night warriors has been extremely beneficial for him in many ways."

"I'm happy to hear that. And Elisa?"

This time, there was no mistaking the smile that was carrying over the phone line. "She is well. Vexing me as usual, but she too has come to peace with herself these past two weeks."

Angela grinned. "And I suppose you helped her with that?" she chuckled.

There was a clearing of her father's throat that gave him away. "I don't think that this is the best time to broach that subject Angela." There was dead silence as she refused to back down and finally he sighed. "But yes, we finally became mates."

Angela almost squealed in excitement, but she forced herself to keep calm. "When will you be home?"

"Hudson, a man named Nightwing and I will be traveling back to Manhattan after we take over the train with the guns. Elisa plans to join us as soon as everything is tied up here in New Gotham."

"You will be separated?"

Goliath sighed unhappily. "Unfortunately there are just not enough of us to be able to stick together. She is needed here, and only Hudson, Nightwing and myself have the capabilities to launch an assault on the train."

"Please be careful then father."

"You as well my daughter."

"I will. I have to go now, Brooklyn is getting ready to send us out on patrol."

"Angela one last thing?"

"Yes?"

"How is your mother?"

Angela was shocked by the question. She had been discreet about her visits to her mother's over the past couple of years, knowing her father would disapprove if he found out. It surprised her to find out that he not only knew about them, but that he hadn't stopped her. Must have been Elisa's influence. The biggest surprise was that he was actually asking about her well-being after not mentioning her name for nearly a year.

"Um, she is doing well. She's really trying father. I know you didn't want me to see her-"

"It's ok daughter. I was angry at first, but Elisa reminded me that she is your mother and if any could help change her and help her see past her hate and anger it would be you."

"It will still be a long time before she could ever trust humans, but she is no longer plotting to destroy them. It's a step in the right direction at least."

As almost an afterthought he told her, "Give her my regards the next time you see her. And thank her for not adding to the many troubles we have had these past months."

Angela giggled. "I don't know how she'll take that but I will."

"Good. I love you Angela."

"I love you too father. I'll see you in the morning."

The Tunnels

New Gotham

9:00 p.m.

Elisa and Reese crouched in the far corner of an abandoned warehouse, quickly stripping off their rags and replacing them with the military fatigues of the two unconscious men bound at their feet. Jerry sat at the entrance keeping an eye on the figures moving around outside and making sure no one noticed their presence. Reese found a can of face paint in one of his pockets and they added a few colors to each other to help disguise their faces further.

"All clear?" Reese asked as he and Elisa checked their weapons and extra clips.

"They all seem to be gathering down below. You two should get down there now while there's still a crowd."

"Easier to be lost," Elisa agreed. "Can you handle these two?"

"I'll be fine. You two just be careful. Those ain't birthday candles you got in that pack."

Reese hefted the backpack and grunted. "Trust me, I don't want to become fish food any time soon. Thanks for your help tonight Jerry."

"Thank you Detectives," he returned as the two slipped out the door and blended in with the steady stream of people heading towards the tunnel entrance.

"You got your first round ready?" Reese asked Elisa as they began their decent.

"Yep. I'll go first," she answered as she stepped off to one side near a large stack of abandoned crates and oil cans. She bent down as if to retie her boot, and deftly slid a small brick of C-4 out of her oversized coat and hid it out of sight before activating the preset timer. She stood up, and joined the ranks. Up ahead, Reese copied her move, as they took turns placing their explosives every hundred yards. They broke off from the main group once they neared the storage and staging rooms to restock their jackets with the last of the explosives.

"We should split up," Reese said quietly, as he kept an eye out for anyone who might come too close to see what was going on.

"Do you want to place them just in the arsenal or set up the staging area also?"

"We should do both. They plan to store the regular ammunition down here. With that much firepower it won't take much to set that whole cache off."

"I'll go scout out the staging area then and see if I can't find a few good places to stash a couple of bricks. I'll take the two ancillary tunnels to the north and east."

He nodded. "I'll make sure the three south will be sealed at that junction. I'll meet you back here in half an hour."

"Reese what's our backup plan if one of us gets caught?"

Reese paused, grim determination crossing his face. "They cannot know what we have planned. That doesn't leave us with too many options."

Elisa took a deep breath and nodded. "One way or another, we have to keep them in the dark as much as possible- by any means necessary."

Their eyes locked, a silent understanding passing between them as they clasped hands. "Whatever it takes," Reese echoed quietly before he stepped back and headed off to accomplish his task.

New Gotham

11:55pm

Oracle typed away furiously, carefully monitoring every detail of their plan. "Nightwing, the Christmas present just left the post office. It should reach your position in roughly fifteen minutes."

"We're in position Oracle. Hope it gets here sooner than that. My friends might be more suited for this, but I'm freezing my buns off here!"

Oracle couldn't help but smile to herself. "You had better find something to prevent that from happening Short Pants because they're your only redeeming quality."

He sighed dramatically, and he could here Goliath and Hudson chuckling in the background. "And here I thought it was my brilliant wit and classy humor."

Oracle allowed herself a chuckle. "Sorry Nightwing, but your 'little sis' was a much better study in that department. Speaking of which, they have moved into position so I need to focus. Contact me when the package comes into sight."

"Gotcha Oracle. Nightwing out."

Oracle opened her comm link to everyone else. The numerous cameras that Helena and Dinah had been placing throughout the shipping yards streamed back their feeds perfectly and she had a clear view of the whole area. Cracking her knuckles, she began to type in commands, focusing on the movements of her team. The metas and the mob boys were in position, ready to hold the perimeter and provide cover fire for the two teams below. Beta Team had already quietly taken out two guards and were waiting for the signal to open fire. That left Alpha Team.

Dinah, Huntress, and their two companions were crouched in their respective positions, waiting for Oracle's signal. "The package left three minutes ago Oracle. What's going on?" Huntress asked tensely.

Oracle didn't blame her. Her eyes scanned the screens, fervently searching for any sign of Reese and Elisa. She still didn't fully understand why they insisted on going back into the tunnels one last time, but with no one else on the scene, there was nothing she could do to stop them. She had lost communication with them as soon as they had gone under, and was now forced to decide whether or not she should give the signal.

Oracle held her breath, her fingers poised, her eyes scouring the monitors before something caught her eye. She panned the closest camera towards the object of scrutiny and gasped in complete and utter shock.

"Oracle. Oracle what's wrong?"

The shadowy figure turned slowly, as if sensing that the camera was focusing on it, and Barbara Gordon was greeted by a visage she hadn't seen in nearly ten years. "Oh my god," she whispered.


	15. Beginning of the End

New Gotham

12:05 am

Barbara stared hard at the screen, beyond hearing Helena or Dinah's concerned attempts to get through to her. What finally broke through her frozen state of mind was when the shadow man raised his hand and tapped his other wrist as a silent reminder. They were on a tight time line. She needed to give the word. Pulling herself back together, Barbara slipped back into Oracle mode and cleared her throat. "Still no sign of Reese or Maza, so everyone keep an eye out for them, but NO ONE is to go into the tunnels after them. Is that clear?"

Helena hesitated the longest before acknowledging the order. "All teams stand by, detonating in three, two, one, fire in the hole...."

On the screen pandemonium broke loose as Oracle detonated the carefully placed percussion charges that Dinah had telekinetically placed around the area. They were specifically designed to create maximum disorientation and still be non-lethal. Anyone within a ten-meter radius was left either unconscious or disabled for a good five minutes. The explosions gave way to the sound of gunfire and shouting.

Oracle took a deep breath, and then began orchestrating her soldiers. She took comfort in the fact that she had the advantage of surprise and information on her side. That, and the dark shadow that moved expertly through the ranks of soldiers. It was clear that nearly everyone he came across recognized him immediately, for most tried to turn and run in fear. Tried to at least.

The mob and the Metas were holding the perimeter without too much trouble, but she could see that Quinn was starting to direct some of his snipers up onto the roofs to try and take them out. "Perimeter One you have incoming, the rooftop just across from you. Snipers setting up shop."

"Got 'em," Rose responded as she and another of her team focused their talents on the men trying to get a shot on them.

"Team Four heads up. You have a man with an ugly on that crane trying to get into a position to fire at you."

"Copy."

"Beta Team be careful you're starting to get boxed in."

Just then the shadow flashed across the screen, and took out the three soldiers who were trying to sneak up and trap Gordon and his team.

"Jesus Jim did you just see that?!" she heard.

She could tell her father was speechless as she watched him merely nod on the screen. "Hell of a time for him to finally show up," he grunted.

Just then her attention was drawn to the entrance of the tunnels. There was a great deal of commotion as people suddenly began fleeing the entrance and Oracle's eyes narrowed.

"Maza or Reese do you read me?"

She waited for a moment and then finally she picked up their signals. "-out...get everyone away from the tunnels....charges...blowing.......thirty sec-......"

"Damn!" she swore. "Alpha Team fall back! Reese and Maza set charges in the tunnels and they're blowing them."

"What?!" Huntress growled in the midst of a vicious fight with a fairly skilled soldier that she had disarmed.

"Huntress fall back now!"

"What about Reese and Maza?" she asked as she knocked the man unconscious and turned towards the tunnels.

"Damnit Huntress FALL BACK NOW!" Oracle shouted at her.

Huntress moved as if to disobey, but Dinah suddenly appeared and she used her talent to literally drag the feral woman several feet back to a point of safety as a low rumbling filled the air. The firing began to slow, as the soldiers turned towards the tunnel entrance realizing something bad was about to happen.

On the screen, Quinn snagged a passing woman who struggled to free herself as she quickly explained what was about to happen. His face filled with rage, but he too began to make a hasty retreat as the dim sound of explosions began to shake the ground beneath their feet. Most of the soldiers seemed to be clear of the tunnels, and what few that were exiting were being picked off by the beta and perimeter teams. Helena was still fighting Dinah, screaming at her to be let go.

Oracle glanced at her monitors, taking in the seismic readings and how severe they were near the small dots that represented the two detectives. "Come on guys, move it," she whispered urgently.

The explosions grew louder, and as they neared the surface, the ground began to buckle. Dust and rubble billowed out from the tunnel entrance and time slowed as the explosions chased the last two people trying to outrun them.

Reese stumbled and would have fallen if Elisa hadn't caught him and used the momentum to keep him running forward. He thought he heard her scream something to him, but it was almost impossible to tell. The ground was heaving under their feet, debris was pelting their bodies, and as the main weapon's arsenal finally blew, a massive fireball roared through the tunnels towards them.

They could see the entrance only a few more meters in front of them, but the air around them had already grown intolerably hot. He and Elisa desperately scrambled the last couple of feet, before a shot took Elisa down. The bullet didn't pierce the body armor, but they had lost precious seconds as the final charges at the entrance began to detonate. Reese was trying to pull Elisa up and further away from the tunnels when a dark form charged the two of them pointing some kind of device at a nearby crane.

"Grab on to me!" he ordered tersely as he fired the device.

Elisa and Reese immediately obeyed and as the blast began to engulf where they were standing, all three figures were jerked off the ground and whipped through the air to a safer range. Seconds later, they were back on the ground and the two detectives looked at the legendary form, stunned.

Castle Wyvrn

Manhattan

12:00 am

Matt looked around the room and almost chuckled to himself. Almost. Maybe if the circumstances weren't so grave, it would have been funny to see such a diverse crowd, forcing themselves to get along with each other for the next few hours. The Xanatos' were of course playing the ever gracious hosts, and the Clan was doing their part to keep things as peaceful as possible. But when you had several groups of long standing enemies gathered under the same roof, it made the tension in the air that much thicker.

Thankfully Glasses and the rest of his crew were keeping to themselves off in one corner. Thankfully Lex and Broadway were distracting the officers that had been assembled, from worrying too much about Dracon's men. Xanatos was wisely avoiding the mutates, and Brooklyn and Angela were seeing to it that Derek was kept on the other side of the room from the billionaire.

Elisa may have grown to tolerating the wealthy ex-con, but it was quite clear that her brother Derek and the rest of the mutates had yet to forgive the man for the twisted experiments he let Dr. Sevarius perform on them. Not that Matt blamed them. Hell, if he had been kidnapped and subjected to what the mutates had been put through, he probably would have put a bullet in the man's skull long ago.

Looking around once more, Matt did a quick head count and allowed himself a small sigh of relief. In all, they had almost fifty assembled. With Xanatos and his family handling the castle diversion on their own, they had a healthy number to take on the army gathering down at the shipping yards.

Looking at his watch he nodded. "Well, it should have started by now," he said announced quietly.

They assembled group quieted and he drew in a deep breath. "Is everyone clear on their assignments and their objectives?"

Heads nodded all around the room. "Good. As soon as we receive word from Goliath that the train has been taken over, each team will head down to the tunnels with their assigned guide. Glasses, Claw there can't talk, can you work with that?"

Glasses looked over at the tiger looking mutate and merely nodded silently in answer. Claw seemed agreeable to the pairing with a nod of his head as well. Derek shifted. "How long until we should hear from Goliath or Elisa?"

"Hopefully we'll hear from Elisa within the next twenty minutes. Goliath probably won't contact us for another half hour to hour. The train won't reach their position for another fifteen or twenty minutes, and then it's how quickly they gain control of the train."

"And what happens if something goes wrong and they don't?" one of the few officers asked into the following silence.

The tension in the air drew tighter. Matt took a deep breath. "Hopefully that won't happen, but it is a possibility that we must prepare for. If we do not hear from Goliath or Hudson in the next hour we still move. The only change in the plan will be that Glasses and his team will be diverted to handle blowing up that train just after it crosses the river."

"What should we do in the meantime?" someone asked.

"Wait....and pray," Matt answered somberly. It was all any of them really could do.

Twenty miles outside new Gotham.......

12:10 am

"Any word on what's going on back there lad?" Hudson asked into the silence.

Nightwing shook his head. "I can only pick up some of the communications from here. It's pretty chaotic, but it sounds like they're holding out ok. I figure the cops should be on their way in right now, so hopefully they'll be able to hang in there a little longer."

"Any word from oracle on the train?"

"I haven't heard from her since the fight started. Figured she's too busy orchestrating everything there. Besides, that train shouldn't be here for at least another ten minutes or so."

Goliath shifted his massive bulk restlessly and Nightwing chuckled. "Trust me, I know how you feel."

"I do not like the thought of leaving all of them back there to fend for themselves."

"Me neither, but we're the only ones who have a chance of taking this train over before it hits Manhattan. Lucky us huh?"

In the far distance the faint sound of a train horn blowing broke through the still night air. All three men froze for a moment, and the adrenaline began to pump. "Hopefully luck will be on our side tonight lad," Hudson commented quietly as they strained to hear more sounds of the approaching train.

Clocktower

12:15

Oracle's hands and eyes flew across the Delphi as she maneuvered her troops against the larger more formidable army. The police were just beginning to show up, but no one was coming even close to the war zone within the confines of the shipping yards. Thankfully, the metas on the rooftops and Hawke's men on the ground were managing to keep the perimeter tightly held, despite a couple of casualties.

The ground teams were having a much more difficult time however. Blowing up the tunnels had been like stirring up a hornets nest. With all of Quinn's troops on the surface and their backs against the water, they were viciously fighting to escape. One of her father's men had been gravely wounded, and James Gordon was desperately trying to drag the wounded man towards safety amid the gunfire that roamed freely about what Oracle was now dubbing Ground Zero.

Huntress and Dinah found their two meta companions, and the four were cutting a path towards Gordon to try and help him extract the wounded man. Reese, Maza, and Batman had become the focal point for Quinn's men, and were now fighting back to back in a desperate struggle to survive.

And then the alarm claxon sounded in the Clocktower as heavy metal doors began sliding down around the Delphi's control room. "Damnit!" Oracle swore as she turned to a bank of monitors off to the side.

On the screen Huntress had ducked behind a row of barrels and had her hand pressed to her ear. "Oracle what the hell is that?"

"The perimeter alarm. Someone's about to knock on my front door," she answered grimly as she began calling up the security feeds to the area around the Clocktower.

"What?"

Oracle swore a little more vehemently as she focused in on two men with shoulder mounted rocket launchers. And then the color drained from her face as one camera focused on the slim figure that stepped out from the shadows and waved towards the camera.

"That's not possible," Oracle breathed as her hands suddenly flew across her keyboard. Within seconds she had hacked into Arkham's security system and stared at the image sitting idly in the clear cell before looking back at the woman standing on the street out front.

"Oracle.....Damn it Oracle do you copy? What the hell is going on?"

"Quinn's here."

"What his men? He sent a team to attack the-."

"Not him....Harley. She's here."

"I'm coming back to the base."

"Negative! You're needed there Huntress. The Control Room is shielded and I should be able to hold them off for awhile longer. Do not return to base is that understood?"

"The hell I'm not! I'm not going to leave you stranded there!"

"Damnit Helena just listen to me for once!" Barbara swore at the younger woman, tears in her eyes. God she wanted nothing more than to have Helena come back, but she couldn't do that. Helena was far too crucial to their effort. Taking a deep breath, the red head regained her composure and forced her voice to fall back into her Oracle mode.

"All teams, this is base. Base is under attack, so I may loose comms in a few minutes. No one...I repeat NO ONE is to abandon their posts to come back here. Continue with the mission as planned and keep in contact with your Team Leaders. Once I loose comms, I'm leaving Detectives Maza and Reese in charge. Does everyone copy?"

Outside New Gotham....

Goliath and Hudson broke their watch on the approaching train as they heard Dick's sharp intake of breath. The Clan leader looked over to see the young men tensely pressing his hand to his ear as he listened to whatever was being said over the comm.

A troubled look filled his eye, and Goliath felt a thread of fear settle in his stomach. "The battle?" he asked tensely.

Nightwing shook his head, swearing. "Barbara's under attack.....Quinn broke out somehow without us knowing. She's just ordered everyone to stay at their posts and not to come back for her. Damnit I can't just leave her there defenseless."

"The lass is hardly defenseless," Hudson reminded him.

"I seem to remember Alfred telling us that she had quite the defense system installed after Quinn's attack last year. If the fight is progressing well enough, one of the others should be able to head over there as soon as the police can rally their forces."

"If it were Elisa over there would you just sit here?" Nightwing asked tightly.

"Elisa is over there right now my friend. Right now I have no idea if she is dead or alive, but I do know that we have a task to complete, and if we don't many more lives could be lost. Barbara knows that and has accepted the risk or she wouldn't have told everyone to stay put."

Goliath put a giant talon on the man's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "We all accepted this burden knowing it could very well be our last...including Barbara. Even if you did leave, how long would it take you to get back? There is nothing more we can do for now."

Nightwing let out a long frustrated breath and slammed his fist on the rock they were perched on. "Your right. God I hope she'll be ok until someone can get back there."

"Aye lad, we all do."

Ground Zero........

Elisa was reloading another clip into her gun, as she listened to Helena argue with Barbara about returning to the Clocktower. She jerked when she heard Barbara place both herself and Reese in charge. Then another wave of soldiers were on them, and she was busy firing at the ones that were armed before taking on the ones that weren't.

She still couldn't believe she was fighting side by side with the legendary Batman. The whole thing was surreal. As she finished up with another soldier, Dracon came running up, his normally immaculate self, covered in grime and blood.

"Hey Sugar, nice little party you guys are throwing here mind if I join in?"

"About damn time you showed up," Elisa grunted as three large soldiers tried to corner them. "How are the lines holding?" Punch, kick, jab, duck.

"We've lost four men on the ground and two of your friends upstairs, but we're managing. The cops are sitting out front wetting their pant though," he panted out as he to fought off his own attackers. "Maybe your buddy over there could encourage them to come help us out a bit?"

"Reese!" Elisa shouted.

"What?"

"PD is sitting out front....we could use some backup right about now."

"I lost my radio." There was a grunt as he took a hard punch to his gut before he returned the favor. "I'd have to get out there personally."

"Go! We need to get this nightmare stopped. I'll cover you while you make a run for that nearest warehouse. Keep in contact with me!"

"Got it!"

Elisa kneed the man in front of her in the groin and then broke his nose and sent him into unconsciousness before his knees even hit the ground. She pulled her gun, pistol whipped one of the two men Tony was still fighting, and shot the other in the leg as she charged by to gain higher ground so she could cover the other cop.

Reese pulled out his own gun, checked the clip, and then began to duck and weave through the violent battleground as he made his way towards the closest building. Being on higher ground made Elisa a bigger target and she took several shots from multiple directions, before she fell from her perch gasping for air and groaning in pain.

"Jesus Maza!" Dracon shouted as he ran up to her. "Damnit woman are you TRYING to get yourself killed?" he asked, relieved to see that none of the bullets had pierced the armor.

"You're far to valuable to be taking risks like that Detective," as deep voice said from off to one side.

Elisa and Dracon both jumped a bit, before they realized the voice belonged to Batman. "Quinn's men loaded up his private yacht with several more cases of the weapons. I saw him starting to make his way towards the slip, and the crew is preparing to cast off. That boat is heading for a second destination in Manhattan."

"How'd you find that out?"

The masked man smirked a bit. "I'm Batman," he answered simply.

"Do you know where it's going?"

"They are to be delivered to Castaway...or should I say Canmore...personally."

Elisa froze for a second. "We've got to stop that boat," she said finally.

"The yacht is docked on the south end of the pier."

"Where are you going?" Elisa asked as she saw the Dark Knight prepare to leave in a different direction.

"My presence here was not part of the plan, therefore I can leave to aid Oracle."

"Good. Someone needed to get over there and stop that bitch," Elisa said grimly.

"Quinn will never bother my girls again," Batman said in a cold tone. And then he was gone.

"My girls?"

"Secrets of the trade Tony...you don't really want to know cause then they'd have to kill you."

"I see...well we have a boat to catch?"


	16. No More

Ok a few acknowledgments: First of all I would like to thank everyone who has been posting reviews. I really love the feedback and its great when a reader picks up a few things that I could change/ fix/etc.

Phoenix83ad, you mentioned some great points. A couple of them will be addressed towards the end of the fic, but I had completely forgotten about Tim Drake. **((gasps)) **It's a little hard to write a story with so many characters, so I admit to an oversight. One that I already know how to fix and will see to it that the new Boy Wonder is mentioned in the story later on. Thanks so much for bringing that to my attention!

Mid-night2787, thank you so much for telling me about the web addy problem. I still wasn't able to just type in the address cause this site drops stuff like that for some reason. But I managed to work around it. Thanks for you review of this story too!

A tip of my hat to devina and VietAngel. Your encouragement is much appreciated as well.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now on with the story....

New Gotham

Clock Tower

12:20 am

Oracle was typing away furiously, desperately trying to figure out how Harley escaped without her vast warning system being triggered. Outside her steel sanctuary, Quinn's men had all but destroyed their home. Now they were filing up the inner stairwell, weapons ready. Well she still had a few tricks up her sleeve.

She pushed a button, and the power surged as she unleashed a powerful charge through the metal staircase her attackers were now climbing. She allowed herself a satisfied smirk as the dozen men and women who were in the middle of their ascent howled in pain before they all slumped unconscious. Quinn was standing at the base of the stairwell, but she merely chuckled as her soldiers fell.

She clapped merrily and grinned as she looked up at the nearest camera. "Very nice Babsy! It seems you learned a few lessons from my last invasion. And since Helena dearest hasn't come down here yet, I'm willing to bet you're all alone up there with those pretty little computers of yours. We have sooo much to catch up on, so I'll try not to delay too much!"

Barbara's eyes narrowed and she barely restrained herself from slamming her fist through the monitor. Damn that woman! While Harley's team searched for a way to get upstairs, she returned her attention back to the Arkham cameras, searching for the fake video that had to have been programmed into the computer. But even as she probed deeper in Arkham's database, the answer remained the same. There was no tampering or altering involved.

"How can she be in two places at once?" Barbara wondered out loud. And then the answer hit her. She zoomed in on the individual sitting in Harley's clear cell, and then fed the information into the computers facial recognition program.

The search came back negative. Somehow, Quinn had managed to trade places with someone who looked enough like her that no one had noticed it wasn't Harley sitting in the cell. Barbara's jaw tightened. Quinn wasn't a slouch when it came to the intellectual department. She would find a way upstairs, and judging from the hardware and arsenal her men were unloading in the underground garage, they were prepared to break through whatever defenses she had in store for them.

Rolling backwards, she swiveled her chair around and moved towards a safe nestled under a desk. She cracked it open in seconds and stared at the device resting inside. Helena would have had a fit if she even knew that Barbara had kept her neural transponder. But Barbara hadn't been able to bring herself to destroy the dangerous device, and now she was relieved she hadn't.

Looking back at the screen, she watched as Harley happily took out her main generator sending the building into darkness. The Delphi Sanctuary went dark for a second, and then her backup batteries kicked in, casting the room in the soft glow of emergency lights and the many screens.

"Come on up you bitch," the redhead growled out. "This time I'll be ready for you."

Outside New Gotham......

12:25 am

A lone train plodded along the tracks outside of New Gotham, the train slowly picking up speed as it cleared the city limits and entered into open country. Unbeknownst to the guards that had been stationed through the various cars, three nighttime vigilantes were now part of the small entourage that was heading towards Manhattan.

"Damn it's cold," Nightwing chattered quietly as he hovered down on the roof of the last car.

"Hudson and I can clear out this first car and allow you a minute to warm up inside before we move forward. I only spotted two men inside, so they can be quickly and quietly dispatched of."

Nightwing merely nodded, and the two gargoyles dropped down onto the back platform and broke through the back door. Nightwing didn't hear a thing, but seconds later Goliath's head popped up from below as he waved for Nightwing to join them.

Two minutes later, Nightwing was breathing a sigh of relief as he rubbed his stinging cheeks. "Mental note to self," he muttered. "Cold proof the suit better. Thanks for waiting for a few minutes so I could defrost."

"Normally we aren't affected by the cold, but tonight I must admit that it is a little uncomfortable even for us," Goliath admitted. "We can move when you are sufficiently warmed."

"I'm ok now, besides we have no idea if these guys have some check-in schedule so we should get moving," Nightwing said as he nudged the bound and unconscious men with his foot. "I'll head up to the front and start uncoupling the cars before I shut down the engine. Are you guys sure you can handle the rest of these goons by yourselves?"

"Don' worry about us lad. Once the cars are separated, they won't be going anywhere with all o' those guns in this weather now will they? Ye just take care o' yourself."

"You too."

Manhattan

Castle Wyvern

12:30 am

The room was eerily silent, and Matt glanced at his watch for the hundredth time. Brooklyn arched an eyebrow at him. "They should just be taking the train right now," Matt answered loud enough for everyone to hear. A few people seemed to nod to themselves, but the room remained quiet.

The door opened, and all eyes focused on the blonde man that entered. "Mr. Xanatos it seems the media is getting wind of what is happening in New Gotham."

Xanatos thought about it for a minute and then nodded. "Go ahead and let them cover the story. Make sure they get several incorrect facts though. There's no need to let Canmore know that anyone is on to his shipment or the fact that his train is about to get robbed."

"It seems Detectives Maza and Reese blew up a rather large stockpile of illegal weapons. I will make sure those are the focus of the media's attention."

"Excellent."

The blonde aide disappeared from the room, and Matt let out a breath he hadn't known that he had been holding. "Damn I didn't even think of that," he said in a shaky voice.

Xanatos smirked. "You can't think of everything Detective. Thankfully I've had quite a bit of experience when it comes to the media. So we made sure to have a contingency plan ready if it did come up. Owen will make sure they have their facts so confused, that none of the stations will be reporting anything right. And no one will be the wiser to the fact that we even know about that shipment."

"I hate this part," Matt sighed. "Waiting to know if everything went according to plan or not. Hoping that our hand hasn't been tipped."

"Whether that has happened or not, we won't have to wait much longer. It's almost time to head out and get into position," Brooklyn commented as he glanced at Matt's watch once more.

"Hopefully we'll get a call before then. It's difficult to get any kind of signals through in the tunnels. If we don't hear from Goliath or Elisa before we leave, we may have to wait until we surface," Derek warned them.

"It's been a half hour, for Elisa. We should be hearing something from them soon....I hope."

The War Zone

New Gotham

12:30 am

Quinn grabbed his Lieutenant roughly. "Where the hell are the extra HQ's?"

"Th- they were all down in the tunnels sir!" he stammered out fearfully.

"Every one of them?!" Quinn screamed angrily.

"Except for the ones that had been loaded onto your yacht and the four sentries who had been issued them."

"FOUR?" The man cringed and Quinn silently cursed himself for picking such an incompetent fool as his Second in Command.

"We didn't want to draw too much attention, and we weren't expecting any trouble!"

Quinn's jaw ticked in fury as he looked out across the battlefield before him. Normally the sight of such chaos and devastation would be pleasing to him. But not when it he had a mission to accomplish, and his forces were beginning to dwindle dangerously low. It was time to cut his losses and retreat. Canmore would get his expected shipment and at least half of his extra order. There were bigger battles to be fought, and he needed to escape alive if he was to celebrate total anarchy with his sister.

"Signal the retreat."

"Retreat? B-but where? We haven't been able to breach their perimeter forces and the cops are massing outside! Sir they've got us totally pinned in!" the man said in a panicked voice.

"Fine then you have the men keep them at bay until I can escape."

"What about the rest of us?"

Quinn looked at him coldly. "I seem to remember you swearing your loyalty to me no matter what. You have two choices right now," he told the cowering man as he pressed his gun to the man's temple. "Fight or die."

"We'll hold them off for as long as it takes sir," the man said weakly.

"A very wise decision."

Clock Tower

New Gotham

12:30 am

Harley Quinn walked into the main living room of the Clock Tower and spun around, her eyes scanning the dark shadows, grinning in psychotic glee as she clapped.

"So you decided to come out an play with us after all," Harley remarked as she stepped over an unconscious body on the floor. Several of the soldiers were running from room to room, attempting to find the paralyzed woman. What they weren't expecting however was that she was fully mobile right now, and weaving through the support beams high in the tower.

"I must say though, you really should fire that old geezer you have as a butler. He's doing a terrible job keeping this place clean."

There was a soft sound – liked air being sliced- and another of her soldiers fell victim to Barbara's batarang. Harley frowned as she realized that she was down to only three of her brother's borrowed soldiers.

"Good help is so hard to find these days," a voice taunted from above, and everyone looked up just as a figure dropped from the darkness.

Harley swiftly moved to safety, as the remaining men surged towards the dark clad figure. One more fell, and then the remaining two finally managed to capture their attacker.

Harley smirked as she strode towards Barbara's struggling body. "Well, well, well, look at what we have here. You didn't have to go and get all dressed up for me sweetie," Harley chuckled as she fingered the yellow bat symbol on the front of Barbara's costume.

Barbara stilled, and her green eyes clashed with blue. Harley cocked her head to one side, stared at those green orbs for a full minute and then frowned. "Now that's not playing fair," she pouted, realizing the redhead had safety contacts in.

"What do you want this time Harley?" Barbara ground out.

"To finish what I started. Well, actually my sweet Mr. J started it oh so many years ago. But I hate to leave things unfinished. But first I'm going to make you pay for the year I spent sitting in that plastic display case," Harley purred as she ran a manicured nail along Barbara's jaw. Then she pulled her hand back and slapped the redhead with such force it split her lip open and left four thin gashes along her jaw.

Barbara reacted by using her captors for leverage and snapped her leg up to kick the blonde in the chin. The move caused Barbara excruciating pain, and she nearly cried out as spasms began to wrack her body. Her only consolation was the fact that Harley was slow getting to her feet, blood dribbling down her own chin.

The psychotic smile was gone, replaced with a murderous look that Barbara was all too familiar with. But Harley wasn't about to kill her without having some fun first. Barbara took a deep breath to steady herself and prepared to hold out for as long as possible, in hopes that one of the others would manage to get back in enough time.

The War Zone........

New Gotham.....

12:30 am

Elisa and Dracon were huddled down in the shadowed corner of a building as they scoped out their path towards the pier. "Damn that's a lot of open ground Sugar."

"If you don't want to come along then cover me, but I'm not letting that boat leave unless I'm on it."

"Where the hell are the cops?"

"I don't know," Elisa muttered, not wanting to think about the possibility that something had happened to Reese. "But we can't wait any longer. Dinah and Helena were separated and I can't raise either of them on the comms. It's now or never Tony, are you with me?"

Tony looked back out at the path was sure to be their deaths and sighed. "You know I am Elisa," he said quietly as he checked the clip on the second gun he had acquired along the way.

"I've got the body armor so I'll take point. If I go down and you can't make it, back off and call the castle. Some one has to let them know there's a second shipment on its way to Canmore."

"Don't worry Sugar, you didn't let me down- I won't let you down."

Dinah groaned as she came too and after blinking a few times to clear her vision she rolled to her feet. Helena had taken a bullet at point blank, and while Dinah turned her attention to her best friend some one broke through her defenses and pistol whipped her into unconsciousness. The last thing she remembered was Helena screaming her name as she launched at Dinah's attacker, her body armor having protected her from the fatal shot.

The scene before now her was devastating. Bodies lay everywhere. Reese had obviously been unsuccessful in trying to get the police to come in and help- not that she blamed them. It was Christmas, and it had turned into one of the bloodiest nights in New Gotham's history. Hell if she were out there, she wouldn't want to come in either. They were still huddled out on the street, waiting for the combatants inside to take care of things for them.

Reese was now holed up with Gordon and a couple of others inside one of the abandoned buildings, and were trading gunfire with who knew how many enemies. Huntress was slowly being backed into a corner, the perimeter forces had been cut in half, and Elisa and Dracon had been stalled in their attempt to cut off the fleeing Quinn.

Half of their friends lay dead or dying, Barbara had been off comms for who knew how long, and Quinn was only feet from his escape. Dinah's eyes flicked back to Helena's form, just as an HQ bullet exploded too close to her, and sent her body crashing into a pile of steel barrels.

"NO!" she screamed, crawling onto a nearby platform to see if the brunette crawled out from the pile. There was no movement, and Dinah felt an uncontrollable rage begin to build inside her. She slowly turned around, her young mind numbingly taking in the violence around her. All she wanted was for it to stop and be over.

No more death.

No more killing.

No more gunshots.

No more explosions.

No more blood.

Her new vantage point had also made her a larger target however, and Quinn's soldiers began firing at her. The blonde clenched her jaw angrily, an invisible shield stopping the bullets. A team rushed her from the right and she turned and threw her fists out, telekinetically blasting nearly a dozen people backwards with such force most of them were knocked unconscious. More tried to rush her and she turned to deal with them as her blood began to boil , the rage continuing to build.

"Jesus, look at that kid she's gonna get herself killed," Dracon muttered.

Elisa grunted as she looked back for a second. "Yeah but she's just the distraction we need. They're rushing her and giving us an opening. Let's move," she ordered as she began making a dash towards the boat. Part of her screamed at her to turn back and help the teen, but the analytical part of her brain kept her racing towards the real problem. They had to catch Quinn before he got away or every sacrifice would have been for nothing.

The crew was rushing around, casting off the mooring lines as the captain fired up the diesel engines. "Move Tony!," Elisa shouted as they finally reached the dock and began pounding down the ramp.

Bullets flew all around them, and Elisa stumbled twice as two found her body. Thankfully they were regular bullets and the body armor held, even if one of her ribs didn't. "Damn it Maza you're gonna get us both killed!" Dracon swore as a bullet grazed his shoulder, nearly spinning him off balance.

Elisa didn't respond, she just kept firing, several of her shots finding their mark. She could hear Dracon a few feet behind her, but the boat was already starting to pull away, Quinn standing on the bow with a smug look on his face. The look disappeared however as Elisa reached the end of the dock and made the jump of her life.

Water stretched out beneath her and she heard Dracon jump a second later. Her body slammed into the railing of the boat and she dropped her gun in her scramble to pull herself over. Water splashed behind her and she silently swore, realizing Dracon had missed the boat. She landed on the deck wincing as fire raced through her abused side, and struggled to pull her second weapon. She froze when cold steel pressed against her temple followed by a maniacal laugh.

Dinah was beyond all reason. Images kept flashing in her head, and the fury continued to build as wave after wave of soldiers were blasted back.

No more.

They were all images of death and grief.

No more.

Of people she had loved and lost. Of those that she had nearly lost. Of those that were lying only feet away dying even now.

NO MORE!

Something inside of her snapped, and a roiling surge of fire and power burned through the young woman's body. She grabbed her head and collapsed to her knees as the power overwhelmed her. A scream built in the depths of her chest and she threw her head back, her body arching painfully as the scream tore from her throat.

From his hiding place, Gordon saw the girl sink to her knees and thought she had finally been hit. But when her body seemed to convulse, and her mouth opened up, the noise that hit him brought him to his own knees writhing in pain. The last thing he remembered was something that sounded and felt like an explosion as his mind finally went blissfully dark.

The explosion was all the distraction Elisa needed. "What the hell was that?!" someone had shouted and the gunman had turned slightly to look back at the docks. Elisa forced her body to move, and disarmed the soldier and had her newly acquired gun trained on Quinn before anyone else could recover.

A dozen guns were suddenly aimed at her, but she quickly moved around until Quinn was now a human shield for her. "I would think twice before firing. I've got body armor on, but I don't think he does. Now stop this boat!" she ordered.

The captain hesitated, and then a second voice spoke up from behind the group. "You heard t-the lady boys. N-n-now drop 'em b-b-before I add you to the b-body count."

Dripping wet, shivering, but wearing a smug grin as always, Tony Dracon cocked his gun to let them know he meant business. Quinn's jaw tightened angrily, and finally several of the soldiers began laying down their weapons. One tried to be a hero, but Dracon dispatched of him quickly, without blinking an eye.

"L-l-let me m-make this clear. I ain't no cop, so I have no problem d-d-dropping one of you nutcases. I'd prefer doing it with a pair of cement shoes, but a f-fully automatic weapon will do just fine. Now drop the weapons and kick them aside!"

Weapons finally clattered to the ground and Dracon made sure that all of them were kicked out of reach. The captain had finally complied, and the boat was slowing. Dracon looked at Elisa for what she wanted to do next and she jerked her to the side. A grin spread across his lips.

"Hope you boys can swim."

"What?!" Some one gasped.

"That water is just above freezing."

"T-t-trust me I know. But if you swim quickly I'm sure you can reach the shore in about five or ten minutes. Now in you all go," he ordered as he began shoving several of the soldiers towards the railing.

They hesitated for a couple of seconds and Dracon fired a warning shot at their feet that got several of them jumping. Quinn watched, clearly seething, as all his men were finally shoved or jumped overboard. Only he and the captain remained, and Elisa was taking no chances as she kept her weapon steady on Quinn.

"Get this boat back to the dock now!" she shouted to the captain.

The man quickly complied, and a couple of minutes later they were pulling back up to a now silent dock. Dracon knocked out the captain as soon as his services were no longer necessary, and had him hog tied within seconds. Once Tony had rejoined her on the main deck, Elisa pulled out a pair of cuffs from her belt and snapped them around Quinn's wrists with grim satisfaction.

"I'm going to see to it that you fry for this," she whispered harshly at him as she roughly shoved him towards the docking ramp.

Quinn resisted for a moment, but Dracon's gun clicked loudly in the silence. "I'm sure Detective Maza would just love it if you tried to escape. Give me even more reason to shoot your kneecaps out," Tony warned smoothly.

Eyes narrowed and jaw grating in fury, Quinn realized he had lost the fight. But he had faith that he hadn't lost the battle. After all, his sister was taking care of that crippled bitch, and the shipment had already left by the time these freaks had shown up. His men in Manhattan would know what to do. And once the guns arrived, there would be no stopping his army. His incarceration would be short-lived.

Rose blinked a few times, shook her head and finally managed to crawl to her feet. Silence met her ears, and for a brief moment she thought that she had been robbed of her hearing. Then she looked down into the war zone below, and saw that not a single soul stirred.

Whatever Dinah had done, it had knocked every person within several hundred yards unconscious. Even the police, on the other side of the warehouses appeared to have felt some of the effects of the...explosion. The boat that Quinn had escaped on was re-docking, and she watched as Dracon helped Maza escort their captive off the vessel at gunpoint.

Her comm crackled to life, snapping her out of her stunned reverie as Maza's voice came over the link. "This is Maza, does anyone read me?"

Rose cleared her throat and then pressed the switch on her mic. "Ice here Detective," she responded.

"Ice what the hell happened?"

"From what I saw it looked like Canary went on overload and took everyone out."

"Status?"

"Everyone within a couple hundred yards is out cold. The police are starting to regroup on the other side of the warehouses...looks like they're finally getting ready to storm the place. Those of us who were further away or on the roofs are getting back to our feet."

"Good, break out the zip ties and starting restraining every soldier you come across. I don't care if they look dead, cuff them. Search every body for weapons and remove them. Any word from the others?"

Rose shook her head. "Only our comms are working. None of us have been able to raise the other team or Oracle for the last ten minutes."

There was a grim pause. "Dracon and I are taking our buddy here to the police, we'll explain what's going on. As soon as there are enough police out there, starting pulling back. Find Canary and Huntress take them with your wounded back to the rendezvous. The Doc is supposed to be standing by."

"And the dead?" Rose asked around the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.

"I'll leave that up to you," Maza said, her tone softening with sadness.

Rose nodded to herself and then stood up straighter as she began assembling the remaining metas for their final duties.

Elisa snorted to herself as she watched the officers tense up as she and Dracon made their way towards them with Quinn held between them. Over fifty guns were aimed at them right now, and she couldn't help but not feel even the slightest bit afraid after what she just went through.

"Halt and identify yourselves!" a voice bellowed out over a bullhorn.

Elisa raised her hand, revealing her badge for the first time in two weeks. "Detective Elisa Maza, NYPD! I'm here undercover and working with Detective Jesse Reese."

"What happened to Detective Reese?"

"Hopefully he's not dead thanks to your hesitance!" she ground out angrily. "You guys have been here for nearly fifteen minutes and none of you had the guts to get in there and help your fellow officers. I have some comrades back there that are gift wrapping your garbage for you, but our numbers have been a little depleted. I'm sure they would appreciate it if you would give them some help so that those who are still alive can go home to their families."

Her sharp and biting words were met with stunned silence, and she could make out the shame on some of their faces as her words sank in. Then a couple of orders were barked out, and the entire group surged forward as several higher ranking officials began to make their way over to Elisa.

"Keep your ch-chat with the big boys short Sugar. We st-still have a b-b-boat to catch," Dracon shivered as he slipped off into the maze of buildings to make his way back to the boat.

Elisa felt Quinn tense up and she shoved her gun into his ribs hard enough to make him wince. "I would love for you to give me a reason to shoot you," she whispered dangerously. He slid a look her way, took in her icy glare and relaxed immediately.


	17. The Harlequin's Last Dance

Ok so this section is a little shorter. Been in the midst of moving, but I'm trying not to leave you guys hanging too much. Thanks again for all your comments and suggestions. I've had a few questions come up that I haven't directly answered and that's cause I'm gonna answer them in the story, so don't get to discouraged 'cause I wouldn't want to spoil the ending for you!

RMB

Outside New Gotham

12:35 am

Nightwing kicked in the door to the engine car and quickly dispatched of the two men at the controls. "Ok Oracle, let's see if your train operations for dummies course really stuck with me," he muttered to himself as he looked over the controls carefully. After familiarizing himself with everything he reached forward and pushed the brake controls up to their fully locked position.

The car jerked as the air was filled with the high pitched squeal of metal on metal as the train's momentum continued to carry the car forward. Nightwing raised his hand to activate his comm link to Goliath and Hudson. "Ok guys I've got the engine shut down. How are things on your end?"

There was a pause and then Goliath's deep voice rumbled over the link. "We had little trouble with the first two sections, but the last one is posing to be a bit of a problem. We may not be able to clear the last three cars by the time they reach your position."

"Copy that. I'll be ready to take care of it when it reaches me. You guys just focus on clearing those last two cars. How much space are between each of the sections?"

"Roughly half a mile, and they are starting to slow according to Oracle's estimates."

Nightwing started to smile fondly. "That's my girl," he said quietly as the smile quickly faded when he remembered he predicament. Shaking his head, Nightwing forced himself to focus on the task at hand. "Just remember we're on a tight schedule now. Once these cars run back into each other, we will only have fifteen minutes to secure all the prisoners and move the shipment, before we have to get this train back up and running again."

"Understood."

The line cut out, and Nightwing walked back to the door of the engine car and walked through the passenger car that was attached to it still. The screech of the frozen wheel on the tracks was dimming somewhat as the two cars finally began to slow substantially. A look out back showed the third car starting to bear down on him as its momentum carried the separated car closer to his section. Sighing, the costumed hero opened the door to crawl up on the roof where he would wait to surprise any more guards left on the approaching car.

New Gotham

The War Zone

12:35

Helena shoved a steel drum off her body and sat up with a groan. Silence met her ears, and she scrambled to her feet unsteadily thinking something had happened to her hearing. Amazingly, the stillness that filled the air was accompanied by an almost deserted feeling within the shipping yards. Bodies lay everywhere. Some dead, a few dying, everyone else was unconscious.

Helena quickly scanned the docks, and saw that Quinn's yacht was docked, with no one on board. Looking back towards the entrance area of the yards, Helena made out Elisa's figure, escorting a captive Quinn towards the police still frozen in place in the streets outside. With a sigh of relief, Helena slumped against a nearby wall. It was over. They had won...but at what price?

"Canary?" Helena croaked out over the comms, still trying to find the blonde amongst the mass of bodies. What had happened while she was out?

"Huntress?" Ice responded over the comm.

"Yeah I'm still here Ice. Where's Canary?"

"She's down about a hundred yards south of your position. Everyone on the ground in pretty much down and out for the count. The perimeter is coming in now to help collect our people and start restraining these goons. Elisa says the cops should be joining us soon."

"Ice what the hell happened?"

"Canary," Ice answered grimly.

"I'm gonna get Canary and then head back to base- damnit...Oracle," Helena swore as she remembered that Harley was attacking the Clock Tower. How much time had passed? Was Barbara still alive?

"One of my men said Batman slipped past the perimeter a while back and took off back towards base."

Helena fought a silent battle and with another look around her she sighed. Her father would take care of matters back at the Clock Tower. He had at least a fifteen minute lead, and there was nothing more she could really do. Besides she wasn't ready to face him yet, and Dinah needed her help.

Jim Gordon groaned as he slowly came too. It took him several minutes to be able to roll his head to the side. "Reese?" he called out hoarsely.

There was no answer, so he opened his eyes and squinted as he looked around the building they had been holed up in. There was no sign of the younger man, and Gordon swore silently, desperately hoping that was a good sign.

"Listen Detective we have procedures here that need to be followed. You need to come down to the station for a statement."

"Listen to me. In a little over an hour, one of the richest and most fanatical lunatics to stir up riots in Manhattan is expecting the shipment of weapons that is on that boat. My partner's team in Manhattan is assembling to take down the merc soldiers Quinn and Canmore have put together to receive the main shipment that was on that train. We didn't know there was a second shipment, or the fact that Canmore was going to be at a second site to receive his own personal stash. If we lose him, then we loose the man BEHIND all of this."

"Listen I understand-," the Captain began to argue.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ONE DAMN THING!!!" Elisa roared back at him, causing everyone within hearing distance to wince.

"Cops are being slaughtered in New York trying to put a stop to these things. I have watched six friends be buried in just under six months! Canmore has a vendetta to settle and until he does, he will continue to plague my city with his violence. I'm not about to let someone like him get away because I had to follow 'procedures'."

The Captain's face had gone bright red at her lecture, and the fact that she was not backing down in the face of a superior officer, even if he wasn't from her department. "I suggest you do as I recommend Detective," he warned in a threatening voice.

His Sergeant looked at him incredulously and Elisa gaped at him in disbelief for a couple moments before she started laughing. It wasn't a pleasant sound, and was tinged with just a hint of hysterics.

"After what I just went through in there you think you can intimidate me?" she asked derisively. You know after meeting Detective Reese I had expected a lot more of your department. You want my statement? Well here it is. With a few exceptions your police force is a joke. Your force is so corrupted that those of you who are legit had no clue that one of the largest and deadliest shipments of guns is right now on its way to Manhattan! Thank god there are people back in there who actually give a damn about this city and its inhabitants because without their help there would be NO New Gotham."

The Captain swallowed nervously as he backed off a step in the face of Elisa's fury. "Now I am getting on that boat and heading back to Manhattan with or without your cooperation. I took care of your garbage for you, now it's time I went back home and put an end to all of this."

With that, Elisa spun on her heel and began to march back towards the dock, leaving the police Captain sputtering in her wake. Dracon slipped up beside her as she reached the dock and she slid a sideways glance at him. He smirked at her, and she found herself unable to repress a smug look of her own.

"Nice digs," she commented taking in his newly acquired dry fatigues.

Dracon shrugged. "Figured he wouldn't be needing them since my guys were wrapping things up with your people."

The boat was already crewed by more of Dracon's men and Elisa noticed that the captain was being roughly awakened by one of the men. Dracon crouched down by the man, slapping his face lightly to bring him around. "Wake up," he growled.

The man came fully around and froze when he took in his precarious predicament. Dracon nodded to the men surrounding them. "Just so you know, Quinn's little party is over and he is being escorted to a nice jail cell even as well speak. Now, how about you tell us where you were headed?"

The man swallowed hard, but held his tongue. Elisa crouched next to him, and turned the man's head her way with a fingertip under his chin. "Let me explain something here. I may be a cop, but right now there are more important things at stake than this badge. I'm going to stop Canmore tonight one way or another. If you don't give us the info we need to know willingly, Mr. Dracon here will be happy to extract it from you."

The man's eyes widened in fear. "Y-You wouldn't do that!" he gasped.

Elisa shrugged, her expression flat. "Like I said I will stop him, and I will use any means necessary to do that."

The man just stared at them, frozen by fear and indecision. "Break a couple of fingers," Dracon ordered. Several men moved forward, a small hammer came into view, and the man began to squirm in panic.

"No! No wait! I'll take you there!" he cried out.

Elisa smiled grimly, and stood. Her face writhed in pain, and she nodded to Dracon to take over as she went to head below deck. Dracon flashed the man a predatory smile. "Now see that wasn't so difficult now was it? Continue to be a good boy, and you'll make there in one piece after all. Take good care of him boys. Let's get underway, we don't want to give our boys in blue out there a chance to decide they don't want us to leave."

With that, he too turned to head down into the depths of the luxurious yacht to inspect their cargo and find Elisa.

Clock Tower

New Gotham

12:45 am

Barbara had lost track of time. She knew it hadn't been that long in reality, but it felt like hours. She lifted her head, not even bothering to wipe the blood that was dripping from her broken nose and split lip. Harley was standing over her, grinning madly, an almost hedonistic look in her eye as she lashed out with her foot once again and connected solidly with Barbara's arm.

There was a sickening crack, and then excruciating pain. Barbara cried out finally, and Harley laughed as she danced about. "Now how about you tell me where my dear sweet Helena is before I break the other one."

"Go to hell," Barbara grated between clenched teeth.

"Been there, done that, it's your turn now Babsy," Harley said in a sing song voice. "Where's Helena?"

_Isn't that what I'd like to know right now_ Barbara thought to herself. Her silence only provoked the blonde further, and Harley's firm grasp on her broken arm caused Barbara to scream in agony as she writhed helpless in the chair she was tied to.

"You realize this is exactly what I want right? To have you here at my mercy, fighting me with every ounce of your legendary strength and will. The great Barbara Gordon. Mr. J may not have broken you, but I will by the time this night is done."

"I...will never lose.....to some one...like you..." Barbara panted.

"Really? Well you don't seem to be winning right now. Although I'm a little disappointed that Helena hasn't come running home to you after the commotion I created a little while ago. I did try to make it as spectacular as possible."

Barbara's lips twisted up a tiny bit, and she turned her battered face up towards Harley to make sure the other woman saw the almost smug look. Quinn grew very still, her eyes narrowing a bit as she took in the expression. _Hell she's gonna find out soon enough anyway._

"She's...a little...tied up...right now...."

"And what could be more important than saving you?"

"Giving....my regards....to your...b-baby brother."

"BITCH!" Harley screamed as she slammed her fist into Barbara's face, sending the redhead into oblivion. She spun to one of the two men Gordon hadn't taken out. "Contact my brother immediately and find out what's going on."

"Yes ma'am," he responded pulling out a cel and dialing immediately. There was no answer, and he redialed several other numbers, his expression growing more grim with each attempt. Finally, "There's no answer with anyone ma'am. Should we head down there?"

Quinn began to pace, agitated. "No. If there's no answer then we must assume they've either been killed or captured. The police are most likely to be there, since none are even here yet. Our best course of action will be to retreat for now, and find out what's happening before we make any more moves."

"Should we contact the buyer to let him know the shipment may be in jeopardy?"

Quinn nodded still thinking, but as the man began to dial, a batarang slammed into his skull, the phone dropping uselessly to the ground just before it's operator. The second man tried to duck for cover, but a dark shadow swooped down on him, and rendered him unconsciously as well.

Thinking it was Helena, Harley giggled expectantly as she danced behind Barbara and placed a knife to her throat. "I've been waiting for this moment all evening my dear," she purred to the shadowed figure.

The person that stood slowly and turned to face her was the last person she ever expected to see however. "You!" she hissed, her grip tightening on the knife. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Taking care of some unfinished business," the Dark Knight said coldly as he fixed Harley with that withering glare.

"Don't come any closer or I'll kill her," Harley threatened.

"You'll kill her no matter what. The question is, what will I do when I catch you?"

Harley laughed, confidently. "You? I know all about your 'no kill' policy Batsy. Drummed into their minds reaaaallll good," she taunted. "A little beating, a few months in Arkham and then I'll break free once more and wreak havoc in your world again."

The glare suddenly changed, and Harley shifted uneasily when she saw a hint of madness behind that look. "Kill her and you'll find out just how wrong you are."

"You wouldn't dare."

The knife was pressing against Barbara's throat hard enough to break the skin slightly. "Put the knife down Harley."

"I don't think so Batman."

His eyes shifted to a point just over her shoulder, and for a second she let her guard down as she shifted her gaze behind her. The next thing she knew, the knife was clattering across the room, at least two of her fingers broken from where a batarang had connected with her hand. Harley threw herself to one side, diving for a discarded gun as the Dark Knight advanced on her.

She raised the weapon and fired three times. All bullets connected with his chest, but he barely flinched. _Damn body armor_ she thought as she tried to aim the gun higher. But his boot lashed out and the gun scattered off into a dark corner.

Completely disarmed, Harley began to crawl backwards away from the menacing shadow in front of her. "I warned all of you to stay away from my family."

"Guess I didn't get the memo," she joked weakly as she continued to back away. Her retreat only last a couple of seconds more before she found herself nearing the edge of what was once the balcony.

"Perhaps your death at my hands will remind the Underworld that I meant business," he answered flatly as he reached down and hauled her up.

"You don't have the guts to kill," Harley claimed fairly confidently for someone who was being held out over a ledge, with the street a couple hundred feet below.

Batman hesitated, and Harley laughed. Angrily he began to draw her back over the safety of the ledge. That's when he heard a noise from behind and turned. Quinn lashed out immediately, knocking Batman off balance, and made a dash towards the entrance.

Three shots rang out, and Quinn stumbled several steps before collapsing to her knees staring dumbly at the crimson spots rapidly staining the front of her jacket. She looked up as Detective Jesse Reese stepped from the shadows, barely standing himself, a smoking gun in his hand.

"He may not be able to kill you, but I can," Reese informed her as she stared at him in complete shock. He raised his gun slowly, anger and determination filling his eyes. "You will never hurt another person again Quinn, and you can die knowing that everything you planned for this night failed."

Quinn's eyes widened as Reese's finger tightened on the trigger one last time.

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

12:45 am

Nearly everyone jumped when Matt's phone rang. He answered it immediately. "Bluestone."

"Hey Matt," Elisa said tiredly.

"Is it over?" he asked anxiously.

"For the most part. Have you heard from Goliath's team yet?"

"Nothing yet. Weren't you guys in communication?" Matt asked worriedly.

"Oracle was hit by a secondary team at the Clock Tower. Our comms will only work within a several mile radius, and she was our patch. When they took out the Tower, we lost contact with their team."

"Damn. How bad is it there?"

"It was a god damned war zone down here. The police just sat outside the whole time waiting for us to kill each other. There were heavy casualties on both sides, but I don't know the numbers yet. There was a second shipment of guns that were going to a separate location. Canmore was going to be receiving them personally. Dracon and I are on the boat they were being brought in by."

"Wait a sec, you mean Canmore isn't going to be at the yards to receive the shipment?"

"The Wild Cards are Quinn's troops. They may be contracted out to Canmore right now, but he knows they really aren't his. That's why he ordered an entirely separate shipment of guns to be sent to him directly for his own personal use."

"Where is the rendezvous?"

"Pier 21. Matt listen, Dracon and I have this covered. Continue with the plan, and don't worry about diverting anymore man power to us."

"But-"

"Matt trust me. You guys are going to need every ounce of man power and firepower you've got."

"I don't like this," Matt sighed.

"It has to be this way. Take care."

"You too."

He hung up his cell and looked at the room full of expectant eyes. "They did it. But Elisa isn't sure just yet of the casualties. There was a second shipment coming to Canmore personally to a different rendezvous point. She and Dracon are on there way there to take care of Canmore. They don't know yet if Goliath's team was successful though- they lost contact with his team when their base was hit."

There was sighs all around, and there was a mixture of relief and apprehension on everyone's face. Even Glasses seemed to be frowning a bit more. Matt looked at his watch. "Well we need to get out of here before the party starts here-"

A second ring broke off his next words and he answered it hopefully.

Outside New Gotham

12:45 am

Nightwing wiped the blood from his lip where one of the soldiers had gotten in a lucky shot, and then spat the rest out of his mouth. At least he was back inside where it was warm. The second section had caught up with the rest of the train, and Nightwing leapt across the expanse of the as the soldiers rushed into the front two cars below him. He dispatched of the two men left behind, and then surprised the remaining men by coming up from behind. That had been one thing to his advantage- a narrow train didn't make for a lot of cover for them.

It had still been an ugly fight though, and one soldier lay dead, carelessly shot by one of his own comrades. The three cars were creeping along the tracks now and they lurched slightly as the fourth and fifth cars caught up and locked back into place.

"How's it going guys?" Nightwing asked over the comms.

"The enemy has been secured and we're a couple hundred feet behind the train now."

"I'm releasing the brakes then," Nightwing responded. "How quickly can you get the cargo transferred into the last two cars?"

"We should be able to do it under ten minutes."

"How many people do we have to move?"

"About three dozen lad. But half o' them aren't exactly up for walking right now," Hudson chuckled.

"That's how I like 'em Hudson," Nightwing grinned. "I'll start getting the prisoners ready to transfer to the rear."

Two minutes later, the train lurched again as the next section re-attached and Nightwing began to escort the prisoners one at a time into the next section where they were secured with the others that Goliath and Hudson were guarding.

"Hudson can help you keep an eye on the prisoners while I start to transfer the cargo."

"You think you can handle moving those crates while this thing is still moving?" Nightwing asked impressed.

"I tested one of the crates and found that I can easily lift two at a time and still glide. Besides the train's movement will help give me ample lift."

"Knock yourself out then. We'll keep moving these guys back."

"How are we on our timeline?" Hudson asked.

Nightwing checked his watch and nodded in approval. "Right on schedule."

"Excellent."

"Everything's going smooth on our end I just hope it's going ok for the rest."

Goliath pulled a cell phone out of his belt pouch and gingerly pressed a key before holding the severely dwarfed device up to his ear. He scowled after a minute. "No answer from Elisa," he sighed.

"Yeah but there could be a lot of reasons for that right?" Nightwing said trying to reassure the gargoyle.

"Indeed. But I need to contact the castle to let them know of our success, and then I'll get started on the shipment."

"Let me know when you're ready for the charges to be set," Nightwing responded as he braced himself against the second to last section running gently into the rest of the creeping train.

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

12:50 am

Matt Bluestone finally broke out into a relieved smile as he hung up his phone for the second time. "Goliath's team was successful. No casualties, and they are right on schedule with no expected delays."

"Are we sure leaving behind the prisoners they took is a good idea?" an officer asked suddenly. "TA is bound to send someone out as soon as they realize they have a couple of cars sitting on the tracks not moving. Worse yet what if they get loose?"

"Mr. Dracon has already seen to it that the prisoners will be transported from the abandoned train cars to the police station, _after_ our own phase of the operation is underway," Glasses said from the corner of the room.

The officers in the room shifted uncomfortably, suspecting that the prisoners would arrive with a few more bruises than they had received in the fight against Goliath and his small team. But no one voiced their discomfort knowing it was necessary.

"Well then Detective I believe it is time for you and your comrades here to depart and let us prep for our uninvited guests."

"Are you sure you have this covered?" Brooklyn asked one last time

"Owen is handling this personally- if you catch my drift," Xanatos told him with his trademark confident smirk.

Brooklyn nodded, snorting. "Ahhh. Finally getting to stretch his legs huh?"

"I think this qualifies as a threat to my son don't you?"

"Hell yeah. Tell him to live it up while he can. I'm sure there will be more than a few of Canmore's former Quarrymen freaks in that bunch. Have him zap one of them for me."

"I'm sure he would be delighted to fulfill your request. Good luck."

"You too...and I want to see the video of everything when I get back," Brooklyn said with a wicked chuckle.


	18. Its Only Just Begun

A/N Sorry it's taken so long to post, but I moved not too long ago and have been a little tied up with the necessities of unpacking and fixing things up. Hopefully I'll be able to post a little more regularly after the holidays are over with, but here's a little bit to keep you going. A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has been reviewing my story. I appreciate your feedback very much!

Clock Tower

New Gotham

12:50 am

The silence that had settled over the Clock Tower was finally broken as Reese slumped to his knees, his gun clattering noisily to the floor. There was the crunching of gravel, as Batman came up behind Reese, but the Detective could not bring himself to meet the older man's glare.

"I'm sorry," Reese whispered as he closed his eyes from the sight in front of him. As soon as he did that though, memories began to resurface, and his conviction was suddenly bolstered. "But you haven't been hear to see the hell they've been through because of her." There was no malice, or judgement in his voice, he was merely stating a fact.

"I love Helena too much to see her – to see any of them- go through that pain again or live in fear that one day she would escape and do exactly as she said she would."

"You killed an unarmed assailant," Batman stated flatly.

Anger flashed through Reese and when he shoved himself to his feet to face Batman, this time there was anger and accusation in his voice. "What gives you the right to judge me for what I did?! Do you know how much you hurt Helena and Barbara –and yes even Alfred- by abandoning them all those years ago? They were left to pick up the pieces of their shattered worlds, without the man who helped to create it! And yet they still went back out into the night to fight YOUR fight! For what?! To go through it all again nearly a decade later?"

"They made their own decision to continue-,"

"Because that's all they knew!" Reese shouted.

"This has nothing to do with you shooting Quinn while she was unarmed."

"It has everything to do with me killing her! I was here just after they defeated Quinn last year. I saw the pain and the fear in their eyes every time her name was even mentioned. I saw them nearly destroy their own lives trying to cope with what she did to them. All of you people take the law into your own hands, and do everything in the name of 'justice'. The simple fact remains that every time you guys put on those costumes, you're still working _outside_ the law. You know what? I did something tonight in the name of justice too. And you, of all people, have absolutely no right to judge me for it."

There was a tense silence as Reese stood nearly toe to toe with the legendary vigilante. He was extremely hard-pressed to meet that glare that seemed to bore into his very soul, but his anger was fueling his courage- and maybe a touch of insanity- right at that moment. A moan from across the room finally broke the stand-off as both men turned to the bound and beaten form of Barbara.

They were both at her side immediately as she started to come around. "About…damn time…you got here…" she whispered hoarsely.

"Shhhh, don't talk. We'll get an ambulance here soon," Reese soothed.

Her head lifted slightly as she tried to focus on his face through the eye that wasn't swollen shut. "You…look like hell….."

"Yeah, well I was just there and is wasn't pretty. But we got the job done."

"Casualties?" she rasped.

"Later," he instructed.

"The girls Reese…..I need to know…" she pleaded with him.

He swallowed, trying not to think about that. "I honestly don't know…but something in my gut tells me they'll both be okay."

"Stop hovering in the shadows Bruce," Barbara whispered after a minute of silence.

When Batman stepped forward a look of displeasure was set in his thinned lips. "Stop scowling," she told him weakly, even though her eyes were closed. "He already knows…though he doesn't know everything…"

Reese was about to ask a question when the sounds of sirens broke through the night air. Barbara's eyes flew open. "The Delphi!" she gasped.

"Easy Barbara," Reese scolded as he reached out to hold her still.

"Reese if the police find the Delphi…."

Reese realized her problem and frowned. "I don't think I can keep them out of here Barbara."

Gritting her teeth she cleared her throat before speaking loudly. "Delphi voice activation, Barbara Delphi One"

"Acknowledged."

"Delphi begin complete downloading into the Cave computers."

"Downloading…please stand by…"

Thirty seconds went by and the sirens grew louder. "Downloading complete."

"Seal off the Delphi command center and begin destruct sequence on my mark." Her voice tightened, and Reese held her hand, knowing how difficult it was for the woman to order the destruction of her extensive network.

"Standing by Oracle."

"Proceed with self destruct auto sequence Oracle Delphi Ten."

"Self destruct will initiate in ten seconds. Please vacate all rooms near the Command Center. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…"

Barbara's hand squeezed Reese's and she let out a tiny sob as the sounds of muted explosions could be heard behind the heavy metal doors and walls that were sealing off the Command Center.

Reese bent his forehead to touch her comfortingly. "I'm sorry you've lost your home to her again."

"What happened?" Barbara asked in a shaky voice.

"I did what none of you could," he told her simply.

Her eyes widened, and then she closed them. But not before he saw the relief she allowed for just a brief second. From her, it was all he needed.

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

1:00am

Xanatos entered the security room and sat down next to his wife. His demeanor had changed considerably as soon as Bluestone's group had left. He flipped through a number of screens, watching as the various groups began to leave through secret exits that led directly into the tunnels. As the teams began their journey's towards their various destinations, he focused on the feeds from the perimeter.

Owen came in a moment later, Alex practically skipping by his side. "Is it time to play now?" the child asked excitedly.

Xanatos allowed himself a brief snort of amusement. His son was definitely going to give him some gray hair within the next few years if he kept up his taste for danger and mayhem. "Soon Alex. Listen why don't you keep guard at the door while I talk to Uncle Owen for a moment okay?"

"Okay daddy."

As the toddler ran off, Xanatos fixed Owen with a hard stare. "Are you sure he will be in absolutely no danger?"

"The boy has grown considerably powerful this past year, as Fox can attest to sir," Owen said in an almost impatient tone.

"And all of this… 'unpleasantness' he's been dreaming about. He will not be witness to any of that?"

"No sir. Again, what young Alex has seen, is not to occur here."

"You've given me the time and place Owen. What if I decide to get there early?" Xanatos challenged.

"Don't force me to stop you David," Owen stated quietly.

Xanatos sighed and slumped into his seat. "Damnit Owen, I already know something bad is going to happen and I'm not going to interfere. Why won't you just tell me?!"

"We've discussed this already sir. Now if you will excuse me, I should change and go over some reminders with Alexander."

Xanatos waved a dismissive hand at his aide and sulked in his seat, jabbing one button after another until her realized his wife was staring at him. "What?" he asked archly as he caught her fighting a smirk.

"You're far too used to getting your way every time my dear," she chided him.

"Now you're defending him?"

"Sweetheart, you don't do pouting very well. Sulking maybe. But not pouting. Trust him on this one David. Things are going to be chaotic by the end of the night- we don't need an angry and distrustful Clan on our hands to add to the problem. If he says we shouldn't know, then we will have to find out just like everyone else, what this night has in store for everyone," she told him gently as she rested a hand over his.

He looked up in surprise, as he felt the slightest tremor, and she smiled ruefully. "Yeah, they've all become like family to me too. Funny how much they can grow on you even if they do ignore us half the time," she tried to joke. But it was only half-hearted, and they soon both lapsed into a somber silence.

Quinn's Yacht

1:00 am

Elisa's muffled curse from behind the closed door, confirmed her location and Dracon knocked on the door to the stateroom. "Maza you okay in there?"

"I'm fine!" came back the clipped answer.

Chuckling Dracon opened the door shaking his head. "That didn't sound very convincing Sugar," he said as he paused in the doorway and raised an eyebrow at the sight that greeted him.

"I don't remember saying you could come in, but since you have you think I could have some privacy and shut the door?" she snapped at him.

Dracon smirked, stepped to one side and shut the door behind him. "Need some help?" he asked as he watched her struggle to peel off the upper half of the body armor she had been wearing.

She struggled for a few minutes more, and then with an exasperated sigh, she finally relented to his offer. "If you even think of trying to cop a feel a swear to god Tony I will break every bone-"

"Easy Sugar," he laughed. "I promise to be a gentleman."

She snorted, but said nothing more as he stepped forward and helped her out of the confining top. She gasped as he pulled the shirt over her head, and his eyes widened at the damage suddenly revealed. "Damn Elisa!" he swore in disbelief.

"Tell me about it," she grit out, panting slightly against the waves of pain that were rolling through her. She finally opened her eyes and looked across the room, to see her reflection in the mirror. Damn was right. Her torso was riddled with rapidly darkening bruises from various impacts. She was certain that at least one lower rib was broken and a couple more were most likely cracked. Her sports top was concealing at least two bruises she knew her sternum was feeling right now.

With all of the other pain, and adrenaline, she hadn't really noticed the gash in her side, where a knife must have slipped through her guard and gotten lucky. She had probably lost a decent amount of blood by now, which would help account for her dizziness.

"We're gonna have to get that sewn up Maza."

"Yeah," Elisa sighed. "You think he's got something on board to take care of this?"

"Are you kidding? This bad boy is a state of the art command ship. Guess you didn't take much time to look around."

Elisa grunted a negative response as Tony crossed over to the phone and picked it up. "I need some one to go to the infirmary and bring that mobile med kit to the secondary estate room immediately."

He hung up the phone and Elisa raised an eyebrow. "Infirmary?"

"I'm telling you Elisa, I only took the nickel tour, but from what I saw, he was ready for a fight. And I would be more than willing to bet that this was going to be his base of operations. I mean this has to be what? Ninety to a hundred feet? He's got a good sized cargo hold, crew barracks for at least two dozen, a fully stocked galley, infirmary, and a communications center that's giving one of my techies a wet dream. Not to mention three of these fully loaded estate rooms."

"A yacht this size doesn't come cheap and this boat looks like it's seen use. Want to bet no one knew about baby Quinn because he's been off hiring himself out as a mercenary soldier?"

Dracon leaned against the counter and nodded. "There is quite a bit of money in that business, and Quinn is obviously a man who's seen quite a bit of action."

A knock at the door interrupted them. "Don't suppose this ship comes with a real doctor does it?" Elisa joked weakly as Tony came back, a very large case in hand.

"Sorry Sugar, but don't worry," he assured her as he opened the case, and pulled out a pair of gloves. "I've done quite a bit of quick fixes in my career."

"Thought it would be too conspicuous if you showed up at the ER needing a gun shot wound fixed?"

"Something like that," he merely smiled as he pulled out a tube and grinned even wider. "Ah now here's a man after my heart- no needles."

"What is it?"

"Surgical glue. First let's clean that cut out and make sure you don't get an infection," he said as he pulled out several other items. "On your back Maza," he ordered with a smug grin.

Elisa mumbled something about 'you wish,' but she complied as she gingerly laid back on the plush bed. Later she wouldn't be sure if it was pain, exhaustion, blood loss or a combination of all three, but several seconds after her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

Tony snorted lightly in amusement, allowed himself a free lingering look of a body that had grown incredibly sexy over the years before bending his head to focus on his task.

The Tunnels

Beneath Manhattan

1:00am

"You think Claw will be okay with Glasses and his crew?" Brooklyn asked Derek Maza, now known as Talon.

"He'll be fine," Derek shrugged. "I hate to admit it, but I know Tony never lost his thing for my sister. Ever notice that whenever we get into a scrape with one of his goons, they never aim to kill?"

Brooklyn thought about that for a minute and then chuckled. "You know, now that you say that…..you're right. So…Tony and Elisa were an item once huh?"

"A long time ago, when they were in high school. Elisa was bound and determined to defy our dad in any way she could. Tony was about as bad as they came," Derek laughed.

"Just don't let my father overhear you saying that," Angela grinned, knowing her father's jealous streak.

"Yeah well he'd be the pot calling the kettle black now wouldn't he? I mean, my sister couldn't have fallen in love with someone who lived life more on the wild side than him now could she?"

The small group chuckled at that comment. "Speaking of mates, how's things going with the negotiations with the Ishimura Clan?" Derek asked, trying to keep things casual as he lead them through the tunnels.

"Pretty good," Brooklyn grinned. "Lex has been chatting online with a female who seems agreeable to coming here in time for the breeding moon. Hudson has been trying to play matchmaker now too since he's been at the castle so much lately and has learned how the computer works."

"Somehow I just can't picture that."

"Och lad, ye are young and strong. Ye shouldn't be so serious all o' the time! There's a beautiful lass tha' I sent your picture to an' she's dyin' to chat with ye," Brooklyn said mimicking the elder clan member.

The imitation was so dead on, that Lex Angela and Broadway all had to pause as they nearly doubled over in their laughter. Derek looked over at them, and then at Brooklyn who was chuckling himself. "Trust me, I was ecstatic when Elisa and Goliath took him."

They resumed their journey, chatting quietly along the way, each trying to push their own fears and concerns to the side with their everyday conversations.

Elsewhere in the tunnels…….

"How much further?" Chavez asked of her two guides.

"About another mile to the end of this tunnel and then a couple of minutes beyond that juncture to the manholes that lead up to the shipping yards."

"So um, how long have you guys been down here?" Officer Morgan asked, trying to be friendly with the two creatures that were obviously close friends with Matt and Elisa.

"For about five years now…ever since…ever since we were changed," Maggie answered quietly.

"Changed?"

"Claw, Talon, and I were all once human. But we were all transformed into what you see now by some psychotic geneticist Xanatos had employed."

"Whoa…no wonder you guys don't like him," another officer muttered.

"I have accepted that Xanatos seems to be changing, but I doubt Derek- Talon will ever forgive Xanatos for what happened to us," Maggie said sadly.

"What about you Delilah? Are you a real gargoyle then?"

The quiet gargoyle shook her head, averting her eyes. "No I am a clone."

"Delilah has several brothers all cloned from the clan, but they were first generation I guess you could say. Their mental capacities are severely limited, and they would be more of a risk than an asset in a fight such as this."

Morgan shook his head chuckling. "Gargoyles, clones, humans turned gargoyle….and I thought this old cop had seen it all."

"Don't feel too bad Morgan," Chavez chuckled with him. "I've known Elisa since she was in diapers, and while I've had my suspicions, I didn't know the half of it. So the clones are all copies of the clan?"

"For the most part," Maggie answered cryptically. Delilah remained quiet, and Chavez looked over at Matt who was pretending to not be aware of the conversation. Realizing that she wasn't about to get a straight answer for now, Chavez went back to small talk with Maggie, trying to steer clear of any touchy subjects that might raise the tension any higher than it already was.

Outside New Gotham

1:00 am

The explosion that lit up the night sky was seen for miles. Nightwing smiled and let out a low whistle. "Now THAT'S the way to celebrate Christmas," he chuckled. Goliath had crammed every last weapon into the last two cars in record time while Nightwing and Hudson secured the prisoners into the next two cars. Nightwing released a sleeping agent into both cars, ensuring their captives wouldn't be waking anytime soon and then set the charges in the last two cars. They had pulled away from the two cars rigged to blow and were a couple miles away when the weapons were destroyed.

"Goliath you can cut loose the sleeping beauties back there."

Goliath nodded and turned to head back outside when Nightwing noticed something. "Body armor came in handy huh?"

Goliath hesitated, and Hudson looked the younger warrior over carefully now noticing where Goliath's armor had been hit with several bullets. The lavender giant nodded somberly. "I am greatly indebted to Alfred for his thoughtfulness and foresight regarding this mission. I was not expecting as many soldiers in the one car, and was caught by surprise by two of them."

"Unfortunately we've been forced to sacrifice caution in the face of a timeline. It happens in this business more than I'd like to admit. But that's why we wear the suits- no matter how uncomfortable they may be at times," Nightwing shrugged.

Goliath departed, and Hudson snorted softly. "Aye Elisa will be havin' a fit when she finds out he was hit."

Nightwing chuckled. "From what little I've seen and gotten to know about Elisa, she doesn't strike me as the type to keep her head down. I'm sure Alfred will be busing patching up all of our suits by the time this night is over."

"Ye think Elisa will be needing her armor again?" Hudson asked a bit surprised.

Nightwing laughed. "You saw the look on her face when she came out of that locker room. She's been bit by the vigilante bug Hudson. She may be a cop, but after this mission she'll probably realize just how much good she can do by 'unofficially' helping the police. With the costume and a mask, she could freely help you guys out anytime she wanted. The way she's been glued to Goliath's side these past couple of weeks I don't think she'd need much convincing to spend more time working with the clan."

Hudson chuckled. "Aye. They do make a formidable team."

Goliath re-entered the train, and eyed the two as they fell suspiciously silent. "Are we on schedule?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.

"According to Oracle yes. With the loss of the last four cars and all that tonnage, we'll be able to make up lost time with a higher speed. We should be arriving in Manhattan within two minutes of the scheduled arrival."

"How long?"

"It's a straight shot from here to Manhattan, should only be another couple of hours. I wonder how everyone else is doing?" Dick said, a worried look crossing his features.

Canmore Estate

Manhattan

1:00 am

Outside the ornate gates, a lone figure watched silently as two shapes lifted from the roof of the massive mansion, and quietly took off into the frigid night air. He lit up a cigarette as he dialed a number on his cell.

"It's Ray. Yeah they both just took off on their little flying contraptions. What were they wearing? I dunno….it was dark…… Yeah I think they had some sort of hoods on…..They took off towards the river. Do you think they know about the shipment boss?….You want me to blow the place before I head over to the castle? Huh…ok whatever you want, you're the boss."

He clicked the cell off, took another long drag from his cigarette before quickly walking back to the car he parked a block away.

Pier 21

Jon Canmore raised his hand, and one of his subordinates hurried over immediately.

"Sir?"

"It appears that we might have some company soon. Tell Matthews to contact the boat and have the shipment re-directed to Pier 15."

"Yes sir. Shall I have the men start relocating the trucks?"

"Leave behind two trucks, and tell Matthews to assemble a small strike team."

"The company sir… are the gargoyles coming?"

Canmore shook his head. "No….it's some of my misguided family. I want them taken down, but not out. Do I make myself clear that I want them alive and unharmed?"

"Unharmed?"

Canmore paused when he saw the look of doubt cross over the young man's face. "I will understand if they have to be roughed up a bit to be subdued. But they had better not have more than a few scrapes or bruises. Is that understood?" he asked in a cold tone.

"Yes sir!" the soldier gulped.

"Good. Once they are subdued, I want them brought back to the base, and I will deal with them after I see to the shipment. Carry on."

"Yes sir!" the man said as he snapped a salute and jogged off to relay his orders.

Canmore chuckled quietly to himself and shook his head. "Ah the young and impressionable," he mused quietly to himself. "So eager to please, so easy to control."

After casting a glance skywards, Canmore motioned for his driver to bring the car over as he barked out several parting orders to the now scrambling men.


	19. Interlude

(Yawns) Man it's late…my muse hit me earlier and I've been typing for like three hours straight. (apologizes to her hubby) Anyway I wanted to send a thank you out to Mid-Nite, Eternal paladin, Divina, Phoenix, Dark Guardian, and everyone else who has reviewed my story. I really, really, appreciate your input and I'm glad to hear you've all been enjoying the story thus far. I have to admit that it's been a long time since I've had fun writing a story, and I've been looking forward to each free bit of time I get to write more.

Enjoy!

Clocktower

New Gotham

1:00 am

The sounds of sirens approaching finally caused the silent trio to stir. "We should get you to the hospital Barbara," Reese said as he finally took a good look at her badly beaten body. For the first time he realized most of her tears were probably due to the physical pain she was in. He had never seen her this vulnerable before and it broke his heart. He wasn't the only one.

Batman crouched next to them. "I can take her home," he said in an unusually quiet voice. "There will be less questions."

"She's got some pretty severe injuries," Reese said skeptically.

"I'll be okay with him Reese," Barbara whispered.

The dark skinned detective hesitated, giving the masked vigilante a hard look before he finally relinquished Barbara's battered body. Batman stood, gently cradling Barbara's body against his, his lips thinning as she gasped in pain. Reese staggered to his feet and the Dark Knight glanced him over.

"You should be seen by a doctor as well."

"I'll take care of things here first and then I'll head over to No Man's. That's where Doc Thompkins was gonna be before she headed back to the Manor. I need to find out what happened to everyone before I come back," Reese said wearily.

Batman merely nodded before disappearing with Barbara. Reese looked back at Quinn's dead body, sighed heavily and slumped down onto the remains of the sofa as he waited for his fellow brothers in blue to make it up the lengthy stairwell.

No Man's

New Gotham

1:00 am

Given her speed and desperation, Huntress had been the first back to the club with Canary cradled in her arms. She practically broke the door down on the elevator as she rushed to unload her friend on the nearest cot that Gibson and Leslie had set up.

Gibson swallowed audibly as he took in both girls appearance, and Leslie immediately went into action. Bending over the unconscious young woman, she began taking readings while she tried to find out just what was in store for her.

"How bad was it?" she asked the shaken looking brunette.

"We almost lost….we would have if it weren't for Dinah. Is…is she gonna be okay?"

"I don't know. Her vitals are all over the place right now. What happened to her?"

"I don't know. I was knocked out, but Rose said something about her going on overload. She single-handedly took out every person within several hundred yards of her," Helena whispered in disbelief.

Leslie frowned. "That would take a lot of power…perhaps more than she could handle. I've only seen something like this happen one other time," Leslie said grimly.

"What happened?"

"The young man had the ability to wield and control fire. But he overdid it one night trying to save a fire crew trapped in a high rise that was burning out of control. He wound up in a coma for months and when he woke, he couldn't even light a match. In the end, he took his own life," she answered sadly. Shaking her head Leslie focused back on her current patient. "Right now we just need to focus on getting her stabilized so that we can move her back to the Manor. How many others will be heading back here?"

"I-I don't know. I found Dinah, and I came right here."

"Casualties?" Gibson asked quietly.

Helena closed her eyes. "Too many," she answered hoarsely.

"But you stopped them?" he asked gently.

"Yes. Reese and Elisa blew up their base, and Elisa and Dracon are on a boat that was supposed to deliver a second secret shipment directly to Canmore."

Gibson rested a hand on her shoulder, trying to give her some comfort. "Then any losses on our part were not made in vain. Oracle made it very clear the risks, and those who died tonight did so willingly and bravely."

"They shouldn't have had to die at all," Helena growled out.

Leslie reached out to grip her hand firmly. "We all die at some time or another kitten. It's not often that we are given the chance to choose how we die. Gibson is right, they died a noble death, and none of us can say that we wouldn't want anything less. Now why don't you let Gibson help dress those wounds of yours while I finish working on Dinah here. I'm sure that when the others start arriving I could use the extra pair of hands."

Helena nodded, her mind still numb from the hell she had just been through to protest Leslie's orders. Gibson began to gently work on her while she amazingly sat completely still under his treatment. Two minutes later however, her eyes widened and Gibson nearly jumped out of his seat when she swore loudly.

"I-I'm sorry-," he stammered out nervously, but she wasn't even looking at him.

"Barbara! I have to get back to the Clocktower!" she said standing abruptly.

"Whoa wait a minute. You're not going anywhere," Leslie said firmly, standing swiftly and moving to block her path towards the elevator.

"Damnit Leslie I have to get back to the Clocktower. Barbara was under attack!"

"Helena, you're hardly in any condition to go out and fight yourself. Look at you, you're barely able to stand on your own two feet right now!"

It took Helena a moment to process the fact that she was swaying heavily.

"Helena you obviously haven't seen your reflection yet but you look like hell. Frankly, I'm amazed you were able to make it back here with her so quickly. You've got a knot on your forehead the size of a softball and you've probably lost a decent amount of blood. Now sit down before you pass out and make things worse," the doctor ordered.

"But-," Helena protested.

"No buts! Barbara would have my hide if she knew I let you go out like you are by yourself. If one or more of the others are still in decent shape when they come back, then- and ONLY THEN- I will let you go check up on her. Understood?"

Helena sat heavily on a nearby chair and dropped her head into her hands. "Leslie I can't loose her," she pleaded.

The older woman softened her voice as she brushed some of the unkempt dark hair back so she could take a closer look at Helena's injury. "I know kitten," she sighed. "But there's nothing you can possibly do for her at this point. I'm sure someone went back to check on her as soon as the fight was over."

"Maybe…" Helena muttered dejectedly.

The elevator rumbled to life and Leslie glanced towards the doors. "Here come the troops now. You just rest here while Gibson and I see to them and then we'll see about getting you a ride back to the Clocktower."

Helena sat back in the chair and brooded for the next ten minutes until Rose finally showed up with the last of the injured survivors. She handed off the young meta to Leslie's capable hands before she approached the surly brunette.

"That's a nasty lump you have there," Rose commented as she reached up to rest her cool fingers on Helena's forehead.

Despite her mood, Helena couldn't help but sigh in some relief as the throbbing abated slightly. "Rose I need to get to the Clocktower and Leslie won't let me outta here by myself."

"I can take you over, but I wouldn't worry about Barbara too much. Batman left shortly after her last transmission and headed off in that direction. Reese left as soon as the fighting was over too. I'm sure that the two of them have taken care of things by now."

"Reese?"

Rose smiled knowingly. "He looked pretty roughed up, but he recovered pretty quickly from…whatever it was that Dinah did."

"I have to go Rose."

"Ok. Let me go talk to Leslie, and I'll drive you over there."

Clock Tower

New Gotham

1:20 am

"Detective Reese? What are you doing here sir?" the SWAT Lieutenant asked as he cautiously approached the weary detective.

"My girlfriend lived here with her friends. I got here as soon as I found out Quinn was trying to blow the place up."

"Quinn? But she's still in Arkham and they haven't reported any breakouts."

"Then tell me who I just shot and killed over there?"

The Lieutenant moved across the room and crouched next to the corpse on the floor and frowned deeply as he examined her face. "I don't know how she did it, but you're right. Was anyone home here?"

"Yeah. Helena's friend Barbara was home. Quinn did a number on her, but a friend just took her to the hospital. Thankfully we got here before Quinn killed her. Listen Mac, it's been a long night. I'm gonna go call my partner and ask him to take over the investigation here. Can you secure the scene for me and keep everyone out until he shows up?"

"No problem Reese, you look like you could use a Band-Aid or two," Mac snorted wryly. "Go ahead and get outta here and I'll take care of things for you."

"Thanks Mac."

Reese made his way down the stairs and limped slowly towards his car, ignoring the crowd of bystanders that had gathered to gawk at the ruined Clocktower. Just as he was about to get into his car, a truck flew down the street and came to a screeching halt next to his vehicle. The passenger door flew open and Helena ungracefully stumbled out, her legs nearly giving out underneath her as she stared upwards in horror.

Reese reached over to catch her and drew her into his arms. "Barbara?" she whispered, panic tightening her throat.

"Shhhh," he soothed hugging her body to his. "She'll be okay," he told her, breathing his own sigh of relief at seeing her alive.

"Where is she? What happened?"

"Let's go back to No Man's so we can get Leslie and check on the others and I'll tell you on the drive over there. Ice you want to follow us back or head home?"

"I think I'll follow you back. Leslie had her hands full when I left, but Helena was insisting on making sure Barbara was okay."

"We'll see you back there then."

She nodded, got back into her truck and headed back towards No Man's as Reese helped Helena into his car. Once inside, he leaned over and ran a hand through her hair as he simply looked at her for a minute. Then, he leaned in, and gently brushed his lips across hers. Her breath caught for a moment and then she leaned further into the kiss before both sat back into their seats.

"Thank god this is all over with and we both made it out alive," Reese breathed as he brushed the side of her face gently one last time before he turned to start up the car and follow Rose.

Wayne Manor

New Gotham

1:25am

Batman carefully ran up the front steps to his home, thankful to see Alfred as vigilant as always as the front doors swung open as he reached them. The aging butler merely looked at the Dark Knight for a second, muttered a 'good to see you finally sir,' and then stepped off to the side so Batman could carry his burden inside towards the waiting infirmary.

Barbara had remained unconscious for most of the trip over, and continued to remain so as Batman laid her gently on the bed and stepped back to let Alfred work on her. Stripping off his own gloves, Batman reached up to remove his cowl, revealing a very aged looking Bruce Wayne.

He did not miss Alfred's small look of surprise, but said nothing as he pulled a pair of surgical gloves on. "We should reset that arm before she wakes up," he noted.

"I was monitoring Miss Barbara's transmissions from the Cave. May I ask what has become of everyone?" Alfred inquired as he assisted Bruce in setting and stabilizing the painful injury.

"I don't know," was the curt reply. "I left as soon as I heard that Harley was attacking the Clock Tower."

"I have been monitoring the police transmissions, and I know that the fight is over. But there seems to be much confusion as to how many casualties there were. I have not heard from neither Miss Helena, Miss Dinah, Detective Maza or Detective Reese."

"Detective Maza was catching a boat bound for Manhattan and I ran into Detective Reese at the Clock Tower. I- I don't know what's become of Helena or Dinah and neither of them showed up at the Clock Tower with that detective."

Alfred noticed his employers tone hardened when he spoke of the Gotham Detective and raised an eyebrow while he continued to gently clean and dress Barbara's wounds. "You do not approve of Detective Reese?"

"He killed Quinn," Bruce answered flatly.

"And that bothers you?"

"We don't kill Alfred."

Alfred straightened suddenly and fixed his missing employer with a look that nearly bordered on a glare. It was the first time Bruce had received such a look from the older man and the shock of that fact caused him to halt for a moment. "Begging your pardon sir, but do you really have the right to consider yourself a part of the 'we' you just spoke of? And the last time I checked, Detective Reese was a police officer, not a vigilante. You never condemned Commissioner Gordon when he was forced to shoot and kill a criminal, what makes Detective Reese any different?"

Bruce blinked, surprised at the tone Alfred used with him, and realized a great deal of things had changed while he had been away. Clearing his throat he tried to take control of the situation, but realized he had no real reason to condemn or judge Reese for what he had done. Looking back at Barbara, he sighed tiredly and stood. "I'll be in the Cave," he said muttered before retreating to the quiet safety of his dark sanctuary.

Train Yards

Manhattan

1:30pm

A camo-wearing soldier jogged up to the Hummer that sat idling quietly and knocked on the darkly tinted window on the passenger side. It rolled down, and he nodded in respect to the man sitting calmly in the warm vehicle.

"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but there are some reports coming in that something went down in New Gotham."

The man looked at the messenger who shifted nervously. "What kind of reports?" the man asked still calm.

"We can't get in touch with anyone up there, and the police reports are sketchy right now. B-but they're saying that they busted everyone up at the docks…Including Mr. Quinn sir."

There was a moment of calm silence. "And the shipment?"

The man smiled a bit as if in relief. "Nothing has been mentioned about that. Our men at the last checkpoint confirm the train is on its way, and our contacts within NYPD have said there's nothing stirring on their end of things. It looks like the New Gotham cops came in after the shipment left."

"Mr. Quinn will never give them anything, and I would have heard from our contacts in the New Gotham PD if the shipment was in danger. How about Canmore's shipment?"

"Something's come up on his end of things and he rearranged the docking point a little while ago. But the captain of the vessel responded and said he would make the delivery right on schedule."

"Very well. Tell the men to carry on with the preparations, but I want a half dozen more posted as lookouts. As soon as those guns get here, I want two crates cracked open and every guard armed with an HQ in case we have trouble on our end."

"Understood sir."

"Carry on."

"Yes sir."

No Man's Land

New Gotham

1:35 am

Reese stood behind Helena as she crouched next to Dinah's side, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. "Did you see what happened to her?" Helena asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yeah," he said distantly, vividly remembering what had happened until he had been knocked out. "It…it was amazing and frightening all at once Hel."

Helena looked up at him, a questioning look in his eyes. "It's hard to describe…to put into words," he explained with a sigh. "It was like she just went nuts or something when she saw you go down. She was one big friggin' target for every goon in that hellhole as soon as she got up on that platform, but it was like she wanted that." He paused for a moment, reflecting on what he had witnessed, and snorted lightly before looking back down at Helena.

"She looked kinda like you did for a minute…you know when you get caught up in the fight. That one where you're just begging for some stupid idiot to attack you so you can kick his ass. The rest of us tried to lay down cover fire for her, everyone merc in there seemed to forget about us for a minute once they saw her. She just got this wild look in her eyes… I swear they began to glow Hel. They were firing at her, rushing her from all directions, but she just took them out with a wave of her hand. The more they came, the more forceful she got, and things just seemed to escalate out of control.

"Next thing I know she's on the ground holding her head, and I thought she had been shot finally. Gordon and I were about to make a rush to get her out of there, when she looked up and this time I _knew _her eyes were glowing. It looked like blue fire, and the air seemed to crackle with electricity. I realized something bad was about to happen, and the last thing I saw as I tried to dive back behind the wall, was this….wave of something coming off her," he recounted quietly. He left out the part about Dinah's scream. God that sound would haunt him for the rest of his life, but he didn't want to upset Helena any further.

Leslie came back over to check on Dinah, a frown creasing her brow as she finished her brief exam. Helena looked up at her expectantly. The older woman sighed and shook her head. "I just don't know Helena. Rose told me what happened, and I'm not sure if there is anything I can do for Dinah at this point. I'm nearly finished here, and then we can get her back home where I'll have access to more medical equipment. How's Barbara?"

"She was roughed up pretty good, but Alfred and Batman are tending to her right now," Reese answered.

Leslie straightened, her breath sucking in sharply. "I-I'm sorry but did you say Batman?"

Helena had stiffened at the mention of her errant father, and Leslie was staring hard at both her and Reese. "Yeah, nice of him to drop in suddenly huh?" Helena growled. Leslie's eyebrows furrowed and Helena shut her eyes, knowing they had transformed suddenly. Trying desperately to corral her temper she let out a frustrated sigh.

"Yeah, he headed back to the Clocktower after Barbara warned us that she was about to lose communications. He took Barbara back to the Manor."

"Oh."

There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Reese looked around at the slowly emptying room. Down at the far end, several cots were occupied by sheet covered individuals. Only three others remained that seemed seriously injured enough that they hadn't gone home for the night.

"How bad was it?"

"A couple of none critical in-n-out gunshot wounds that I stitched up. One broken arm, a concussion, and handful of bruises and cuts, and those three over there. Jack ended up with a knife buried in his chest, and he's lost a lot of blood. Thankfully nothing major was hit, though the blade did knick the bone and I had to fish out the piece before it worked its way into his bloodstream. He'll be out for a couple of days, but his meta- healing is almost as fast as Helena's. Daniel took a bullet in the leg and it shattered his femur. He's going to need surgery for it to heal properly, and I've already called a few friends of mine who will operate without asking any questions. The transport should be here in about half an hour."

"And Lina?" Helena asked looking over at the skinny woman that had braved the frontlines.

"The next twenty four hours will tell if she makes it or not," Leslie sighed. "It appears she was shot at least twice, although I'm guessing she had just enough power left to phase out briefly so her body would expel the bullets. She wasn't breathing when they brought her in, and I'm not sure how long she was down before we revived her."

"What will be done with them?" Helena whispered as she looked away from the sheet covered bodies in the back.

"I'll see to it that they're bodies are taken care of tomorrow and inform the families. Now let's have a look at you Detective, while I wait for the transport to show up. Then we can head back to the Manor. Gibson and Rose volunteered to stay here until an assistant of mine can show up to keep an eye on things while I patch the rest of you up and get Dinah settled in."

The Tunnels

Manhattan

1:45 am

The tiger patterned mutate raised his hand, and the silent group behind him came to a halt. Claw turned to look at the large human that stood just behind him and pointed to the man's watch.

Glasses looked down at his watch. "1:45"

It was the first words that had been spoken the entire trip, and a couple of the others jumped slightly. Claw nodded and then pointed to the ladder that led to a manhole about twenty feet up. He made several other gestures that they were at their designated position near the outer warehouses of the train yards.

Then the mutate looked more closely at the dark skinned man and gestured to the human's heavily sweating and almost gray features. A question was clearly apparent in Claw's eyes, even in the dim light provided by Glasses flashlight.

Glasses looked away from the mutate, grumbling an 'I'm fine' as he ordered his men to find a dry place to sit and keep warm while they waited for the train.

Claw merely shrugged, and settled down for the wait, all the while keeping a casual eye on the quiet human that he was in charge of guiding.

Ground Floor

Aerie Building

Manhattan

2:00 am

A soft ding roused the man from his slumber. Rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands, he lifted his head from the desk he was seated at and tried to situate himself. The last thing he had remembered was Mr. Xanatos himself and that frosty assistant of his cornering him that afternoon as he finished checking up on the commands he had programmed into the security system. There was a decidedly cold look in Xanatos' eyes, ones that had sent a chill down his spine before he slipped into unconsciousness.

Bolting upright, the man realized Xanatos must have found out. He had to warn his boss! Standing up on unsteady legs he turned around to find himself in the main lobby of the Aerie Building. Now that was weird.

The sounds of boots scuffing on marble made him turn around to come face to face with an army of mask-clad, fatigue wearing, gun-toting mercenaries. No! The man opened his mouth to warn them, but his words were cut off by a curt command from one of the many figures. There were two crisp shots, and the man looked down stupidly down at his chest. As crimson began to stain the front of his clothing, his mind idly wondered why he was wearing a security guard's uniform. Then blackness consumed him, and he collapsed to the ground, his warning dying on his cooling lips.

**Upstairs in Castle Wyvern…..**

David Xanatos sat in his plush chair, with his wife at his side, and allowed himself an evil smirk. It had been awhile since he had allowed such an expression cross his features, and he wouldn't dare allow it in the presence of the Clan. But here…now…. knowing what was to come this night…he allowed himself that one small freedom.

"I think we should keep this on file in case anyone else decides they want to try and attack us," Fox commented casually, a satisfied look turning her own lips upwards.

"Tony Dracon was very interested to find out just how I was going to deal with our mole….I'm sure there are going to be a few others who would be interested in seeing what happened here tonight as well."

"Can you believe that they are all cramming into those elevators?"

"Did you know that as part of the newer security upgrades I did a couple of months ago, I had this little button right here installed?"

Fox's eyes danced in mischief. "And just what does that do?"

"Cut the elevator cables….from any point at anytime that I choose."

"Now David, you know how much Puck has been looking forward to this. It's been ages since he's been able to really go all out with Alex."

"I know. It was just wishful thinking….hoping for a chance to put a new measure to the test."

"Don't worry sweetheart. You had all those new laser cannons installed up in the battlements, and it looks like you'll be able to test them out in a couple of minutes," she said as she tapped a screen on her security console.

"More company?" he asked, slightly surprised.

"We have four helicopters inbound from the east. Should I let them get close? Or keep them at bay?"

"We don't want to distract the police by having them swarm our building when they'll be needed elsewhere. Let them land if they want, it'll give us a chance to really test our security measures."

"The Clan won't be too happy with our change in plans," Fox teased.

Xanatos smirked. "Are they ever?"

**Aerie Building Floor 100**

"Are you ready to go all out my boy?" the elfin being asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes as he rubbed his hands together.

"You bet Uncle Puck!" the boy exclaimed excitedly as he spun himself around in midair in imitation of his mentor.

"Now remember, guns are very bad and we are both allergic to the bullets so they have to go first thing okay?"

"An' I can make them go away any way I want?"

"Yeap! Now they're on their way up right now. I'll open one elevator at a time, so that you don't get overwhelmed and keep your shields up at all times. And if you start to get tired-,"

"I'm to tell you so that you can finish stopping the bad guys that want to take over our home. I know, I know already!" he whined as toddlers were prone to do when they were told something too many times.

Puck just chuckled as he nudged the boy forward. "Now do your Uncle Puck proud!"

"Hey, this thing's stopping," someone commented.

"We're not on the right floor," another added.

"Damn techie probably didn't get the program right. We're only a couple of floors beneath the castle, we can hike it from here," their team leader grumbled as he hit the button for the doors to open. Nothing happened however, and he frowned punching the button again.

"What's goin' on?" someone asked.

"Friggin' door won't open."

"You think they're onto us?"

The team leader frowned and then pulled his gun from its holster. "Everyone shut-up for a minute so I can listen."

Just then the doors opened, and the entire group froze for two seconds before soldiers started scrambling out of their confining surroundings, weapons drawn. The team leader glanced around the lobby, to see that all the other elevators were stopped on the same floor and one other was already abandoned. What the hell was going on?

Just then a small herd of animals rounded the corner, and a few of the startled soldiers began to open fire. "Cease fire! Cease firing!" their team leader shouted.

That's when a young child appeared in their midst out of thin air. "What the hell?!" someone cried out.

The child scowled. "You shouldn't swears and you shouldn't play with guns," he declared. Then, just like that, their guns disappeared with the child, leaving the small group confused and very alarmed.

"Sir?" someone asked in a nervous voice.

"D-Does anyone have their backups?"

There were negative responses all around. "I don't know what just happened, but they are obviously onto us. Let's get the hell out of here while we still can."

They began to retreat back to the elevator, but the doors closed before anyone could board them. "Now, now you've gone to all the trouble storm the castle. Why turn back now when there's so much more fun and mayhem to be had?" an overly cheery voice asked.

They spun around to see what appeared to be an elf, floating in midair at the far end of the hall. "What the hell is that?!"

The elf grinned. It wasn't a pleasant smile. The wall behind him disappeared, revealing a chaotic scene on the other side. Several other groups of men were running around on what appeared to be a completely cleaned out floor, chasing and being chased by a variety of creatures and one small child. "Do come in," the elf invited.

In the blink of an eye, the soldiers found themselves in the middle of the chaos, with no way out.

Pier 21

Manhattan

2:00am

Jason Canmore lowered his night-vision equipped binoculars and sighed. "Are ye sure this was where he was to meet the shipment?"

His sister glared at him, as she shifted uncomfortably rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm them in the frigid air. "I think it's obvious that something is going on here Jason," she snapped at him as she pointed towards the heavily armed men patrolling the area.

"Aye, but I see no sign of Jon. Ye know how he is Robyn," he said arching an eyebrow at his annoyed sister. "He oversees everything personally, and he should be here."

"Maybe ye should put some glasses on then and look a little harder then. He was going to be here," Robyn ground out angrily.

Jason sighed, and dropped the subject, knowing it wouldn't do any good to aggravate his sister any further. Raising the binoculars once more, he went back to silently searching the area for any sign of his youngest sibling.


	20. explosions of a different kind

Ok so this isn't really beta'd well…I just finished churning this out and it's late…but since I've got someone begging for more cough cough midnight cough I thought I'd go ahead and post this little bit anyway. Hope you enjoy it and I'm working on more!

RMB

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**2:15 am**

The wealthy couple watched from the safety of their security room as the small army of mercenaries broke up into groups and began to swarm through their home. Looking over at his wife, David Xanatos grinned and flexed his fingers over the controls.

"Ready my dear?"

She flashed him a sexy grin. "Always. Just remember what happens when you cheat."

"What if two groups converge on each other?"

"Only then can you focus on more than the one group," she conceded, as they set the parameters of the impromptu contest they were staging.

"They one with the most men down wins and the loser will be at the winners mercy when all of this unpleasantness is done with."

"Deal."

"Go."

Fingers began to dance over controls, and the control panels came to life as the two billionaires brought the castle's defense systems completely online. Down in the depths of the castle, lights began to blink on as large doors slid back along a high wall to reveal the Xanatos' patented Steel Clan.

Their eyes began to glow red as their systems were brought online and ran a quick diagnostic before awaiting commands. Seconds after being brought to life, the massive robots smoothly rose from their resting places, and began to march out of their storage area to track down Canmore's intruding forces.

Several stories below, in the Aerie Building…… 

Puck was having the time of his life and Alex was enjoying it as much as he was. Animals and people had been running around the floor in complete chaos, helplessly trapped in a demise of their own making. There had been more than enough soldiers to make an animal for every letter of the alphabet…after all this had to be at least a little educational. Once Alex had accomplished that, he had set the animals and people free together and was watching how they interacted- or their lack thereof.

After he had tired of that, Puck had the boy take several of the more aggressive soldiers into one section and turned them loose on the boy as he worked on developing his defense shields and attack skills on the unlucky participants of their new lesson. Alex had been shown by Puck how to form a shield and how to use his magical abilities to forms spells to both defend and attack. But the boy had never been put in a situation before where he could put that knowledge to the test.

Needless to say, he was a little hesitant at first. But his mentor coached him through the lesson, despite their test subjects protests, and Alex quickly got the hang of things. Soon enough he was holding a shield of his own, powerful enough to withstand direct blows from several enraged human men. He was also finding new and creative ways to deflect any oncoming attacks. Glancing at the clock, Puck was very pleased with young Alex's progress in such short time. He only hoped he could keep the boy distracted or at least wear him out enough that he wouldn't remember what was going to occur in just over an hour.

**Wayne Manor**

**New Gotham**

**2:15 am**

Helena took the steps to the mansion two at a time, Reese and the doctor struggling to keep up with her as she hurried to get the limp body in her arms out of the cold. When had it begun to snow? She wondered absently as she nearly kicked the door down in her frustration to get inside.

She turned around in the massive foyer, lost as to where she should bring Dinah. Leslie finally caught up with them and nodded towards the study. "The Cave," she instructed, a little out of breath. "The equipment I will need to monitor her is down there."

Helena was in the study and heading down the stairs in a flash. So caught up in her own emotions was she, that she didn't even notice the telltale signs of another's presence in the Cave until she practically slammed into a figure exiting the training room. With a sharp gasp Helena looked up and stumbled backwards, her eyes locked on a pair so much like her own.

My God, she thought numbly. It's him.

Bruce Wayne stood there, silvered hair wet from a recent shower, the towel dropping to the floor forgotten. He was clad only in a pair of workout pants, his still chiseled and heavily scarred upper body open to her stunned scrutiny. Father and daughter stood there for nearly a minute, simply staring at each other, neither knowing what to say….if anything should be said.

Then Reese and Leslie arrived, and Helena's gaze ripped from his, though not before he saw those blue orbs glint gold for a brief moment as her lips curled in a small snarl. Turning his head, Bruce's eyes settle on those of his old friend, and he smiled, grateful that at least one person was glad to see him still alive.

"Hope you don't mind me commandeering your equipment again Bruce," she said to him as she walked over to a wall of monitors and pressed a button.

As the special medical bed slid out from the wall, Leslie waved Helena over, and began to attach various monitors and nodes to the young woman.

"Anything for friends…and family Leslie," he answered softly.

Helena's eyes flashed more fiercely this time, and his practiced eye didn't miss the slight trembling in her sleek frame as she struggle to curtail her temper. Falling silent, the Dark Knight realized that this probably wasn't the right time to have the argument that was bound to happen. Dinah was obviously injured badly….how he could not readily discern.

Seeing Bruce's close scrutiny of the young woman, Leslie answered his question as she began programming the equipment to begin scanning the teen. "She overtaxed herself. Dinah is both a touch telepath and a telekinetic. Guess things took a turn for the worse, and Dinah lost control when her emotions took over."

He couldn't help it. And it was like she was waiting for it. But his years of mistrust of those with meta abilities took over and his natural reaction – though very minute- was to grimace. Not a full facial grimace by any means. But his eyes hardened, and his jaw tightened, and that was enough to set her off.

"What?!" Helena shouted at him, startling everyone in the room.

Blinking, Bruce Wayne cleared his face of any emotion and turned to look at his volatile daughter. "I don't believe I said anything," he remarked flatly.

"No you didn't…but I saw that look."

"And what look would that be."

"Um Helena maybe," Reese began nervously as he moved to grasp her arm gently.

"Stay out of this Reese," she growled at him. Her eyes were completely feral now, and Bruce found himself captivated by those golden orbs. "Does this frighten you?" she hissed at him, noticing his unwavering gaze at her eyes.

"Barbara told me all about your mistrust of people like us. Is that why you ran off? Couldn't handle that fact that your daughter was half-freak?"

"Helena!" Leslie snapped.

The snarl that echoed through the Batcave was as vicious as any of them had ever heard. "No!" Helena shouted. "I don't care what you think of me Mr. Wayne, because I have a family here with Dinah and Barbara and Alfred. Don't you dare disrespect Dinah for what she did tonight……she did a lot more for me than you ever will."

With those angry, spiteful words, the brunette turned on her heel and fled the Batcave. Not before several sharp ears picked up the sound of her choked sobs as she threw herself off the edge of the platform and disappeared into the darkness below. Reese jerked, fear and concern on his face.

"There's a ledge forty feet down," Bruce assured him hoarsely. "And several more after that. She'll be okay."

Leslie looked from where Helena had jumped back to the man that had brought Gotham's worst criminals to their knees. She had only seen Batman and Bruce Wayne look defeated once before- and it was right before he left. She had sworn to herself that if he ever came back, she wouldn't let him quit again for as long as she lived. Right now, he harbored that same vacant, lost look again.

"She's got her mother's temper and her father's stubbornness," Leslie said with a wry chuckle. "It's been an emotional night for her, Bruce. Let her cool off and then you can start to mend the fences later."

"If that is even possible."

"It is…have faith."


	21. The Setup

HOLA! Ok, so I want to first thank my fans once again…a special tip of my hat to Midnight and Paladin. Midnight I may tease you about bugging me to post regularly, but I only tease peeps I like! Thank you for keeping on me, cause it helps inspire me to keep writing!

So I got this sudden silly urge to throw in a couple of new characters…they aren't gonna have a major role, it's just something I'm going with on a whim. Some of you might recognize the names of the cops I've mentioned in this chapter. Yeah I love NBC's Third Watch too, and since our police officers needed names….voila!

So Gargs belong to Disney, BOP belongs to DC & WB etc. etc. and Third Watch belongs to NBC.

Oh…and Red Jr and Malibu if you read this story (finally) let me know what you think!

**Somewhere along the Eastern Seaboard Between new Gotham and Manhattan….. (yeah that was real specific huh?)**

**2:30 a.m**.

Elisa woke up with a start, glaring at the man that was quickly withdrawing his hand to step back and grin infuriatingly at her. "Hey sleeping beauty time to get ready for round two."

"Damnit Tony!" she growled at him as she fumbled around for her top. "How long have I been out?"

"You stress too much over the little stuff Maza. It's gonna give you early wrinkle lines," he told her blithely.

"Screw you," she hissed, as she struggled briefly with the form fitting, kevlar reinforced, leather. She hadn't really noticed before just how much her clothing weighed until she stood from the bed, still exhausted and light-headed from the injury.

"Now Sugar is that anyway to talk to the man that just brought you breakfast in bed?" he asked in mock hurt as he pulled a cloth off a tray he had resting on the counter next to where he was leaning. "I hope for Goliath's sake you aren't always this grouchy in the morning."

Elisa glowered at him as he continued to goad and tease her, but the food smelled good, and her body made it quite clear that it needed some nourishment. Come to think of it, when had she last eaten? Breakfast the day before? It was a wonder she was still on her feet.

Ignoring Tony's pleased look, she shoved him out of the way and tucked into the pasta and salad that someone had whipped up. The carbs quickly began to raise her low blood sugar, and by the time she was finished, Elisa had to admit that she was feeling considerably better.

Breaking the silence, she glanced at the clock. "We still on schedule?"

"Down to the minute. There was a slight change in plans however. Canmore re-arranged the docking point. Not really sure why, he didn't mention anything in the transmission and I didn't want to arouse to much curiosity by asking."

Elisa frowned as she set the fork down on her empty plate and took one last drink of her water. "That just made me think of something else. We need to have another chat with our captain."

Tony merely raised an eyebrow as he followed her down the hall and up the stairs into the pilothouse. The nervous looking Captain was steering the ship around the point of Manhattan, Lady Liberty shining brightly off the port side of the ship.

Elisa advanced on the man, and Dracon nodded slightly to the two men who were keeping guard. The Captain shrank back slightly, and Tony grinned to himself. Maza was getting good with the whole intimidation thing. Of course it could just be the outfit, he mused silently. She didn't look anything like a cop right now- more like one those vigilante friends of hers. One that was hell bent on stopping this shipment.

Grabbing the man by his coat lapels, she shoved him against a computer console. "Just one last thing. I've been working undercover with Quinn's men for over three months now. Quinn kept the location a secret, but he didn't keep the details quiet. When the time comes you have that man over there give the all clear signal. If I see the warning signal, I'll make sure this boat is turned around immediately and heading out to sea where no one will be able to save you from the worst death you can possibly imagine. Do I make myself clear?"

The man nearly whimpered as he shook his head. "Y-y-yes ma'am," he stuttered out as she let go of him and stalked out of the pilothouse.

Tony chuckled quietly as the frightened man nearly tripped over himself getting back to the helm. The two guards grinned widely, and one of them winked at the mob boss. Stepping out of the small room, Dracon followed after Elisa, tossing her a cap as she prepared to head outside.

"That was pretty good Maza," he complimented as he pulled on his own cap, and began buttoning up his heavy jacket. "Nearly had me wetting my pants."

"Please," she huffed as she began checking the utility belt.

"Ok so that might be an exageration, but you almost had him wetting his pants."

"It wasn't too over the top?"

"Are you kidding? After you were willing to let my boys break a few of his fingers earlier? You should work for the CIA as an interrogator."

"Gee thanks," she retorted sarcastically as she pulled on a pair of gloves and looked out the small porthole.

"It's snowing again," she sighed. "I really want to take a vacation someplace tropical when all of this is done."

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**2:30 a.m.**

"I see your two rocket launchers and raise you one Robot," Fox grinned as she punched a button on her console. The small group of invaders on her screen started to panic in the face of the seemingly indestructible Steel Clan robot, and turned to flee, only to be apprehended by two others waiting just around the corner.

Fox's eyes flared green and she turned to scowl at her husband. "That's not fair! You have to find and get your own thugs, not wait around for me to flush them out to your robots," she told him, clearly annoyed with his tactic.

"That was never stated in the rules," he answered back smoothly, with his trademark smirk.

Her eyes narrowed, and a slow smirk ran across her own face. "So that's how we're gonna play now is it?"

He wiped his face of every expression, except one of fake innocence. "Why my dear I'm simply trying to play within the limits we set for ourselves."

Fox turned from him, and began typing in a series of quick commands and numerous overrides. "Play with this then," she muttered under her breath as she hit the 'send' button and then turned to flash her husband a sweet smile before turning back to the monitors to watch her handiwork unfold.

Concerned that his vast lead over her was about to be jeapordized, Xanatos turned back to his monitors just in time to see his two robots freeze on their way to the dungeon. Their limbs went slack as their systems shut down, and the captives wriggled free, only to be scooped up a few feet further down the hall by Fox's waiting Clan robots.

On two more screens, another three of David's robots followed a similar fate, and Fox chuckled low in her throat. "I believe that puts me ahead dear."

Not one to be outsmarted so easily, Xanatos cracked his knuckles and grinned. "My love, you always make the games more challenging. It will make victory all the more sweeter."

Fox merely sniffed, her hands poised over her keyboard as she waited for his countermove.

**Tunnels**

**Manhattan**

**2:45 a.m.**

Captain Chavez looked back at the small group of cops that she and Matt had recruited. It was a mixed bunch to be sure, but she knew that every one of them could be trusted. There was of course Morgan, who had been a beat cop with Maza's father and herself and had happily stayed on the streets when everyone else had moved upwards, onwards, or retired. Pinnelli, had been trained by Chavez herself, and had lost his partner two months ago to an HQ. He had begged the Captain to let him help Bluestone and Maza the day he came back to work.

The remaining five officers were from 55th Precinct - the only other precinct in the city to have been hit hard by the guns. The Lieutenant, Lou, had gone through the academy with Chavez. After serving their year as rookies they had been partnered for awhile, and Maria knew she could trust Lou to watch her back. When she had quietly approached him a week and a half ago with the information, he had quickly promised her help. She was surprised when he had informed her a few days later that he had four more officers that he had hand-picked to assist.

She knew Officer Sullivan…he'd been a beat cop for over two decades now. Sully was as loyal as they came, and he was now partnered with Ty Davis Jr. The young man seemed determined not to follow in his old man's footsteps. Ty Sr. had been a good cop, who got mixed up with the wrong guys wearing blue. Chavez had met the senior Davis, shortly before he had been shot on what appeared to be a set-up cop killing. Rumors still floated around every now and then as to what really happened all those years ago, but whatever they may have been, Ty Jr. was as straight as they came according to Lou.

The other two officers puzzled her a bit, but Lou vouched for their credibility as well. Faith Yokus, was another dedicated cop, one good collar away from being meritoriously promoted to detective. She had been quiet and observant the whole time, except when she was keeping her younger, obnoxious partner in line. Of the whole team Lou was bringing with him, Bosco was the most questionable to Chavez. But Lou said he was a good cop through and through. Served as an MP in the military during the Gulf, the guy bled blue according to Lou. So Chavez didn't question him.

The funny thing about Bosco was that even now, after everyone else was starting to get ancy, freezing their butts off in the sewers, he had finally gone quiet. Must have been the military training. Because now, just minutes away from the fight of their lives, he was the most calm and collected of the bunch- even more than herself.

Shaking her head slightly, Chavez checked her watch and then looked over at Matt and nodded. It was time to start getting into position. The train would be arriving shortly, and one of the largest gang take-downs in New York history was about to happen.

"Alright everybody listen up," Chavez said quietly. "Let's do a final check. This party is about to get started. Remember, use whatever force necessary to take these men down. Keep your heads low, your backs to a wall if possible, and make sure of your target before you shoot."

"Hey Cap, we gonna get a medal for this?" Bosco asked as everyone began checking their firearms and extra ammo.

"Guess that all depends if the big boys upstairs let me keep my job now doesn't it Boscorelli?" Chavez responded, finally happy to say something that actually shut the cocky young man up.

"Captain Chavez….are you saying this mission isn't sanctioned by the Department?" Yokus asked into the silence.

Everyone stilled, and Chavez looked over at Lou, her eyes widening. My god. Had he not told them everything that was going on?

Lou looked away and then cleared his throat as he looked over at his team. "Uh…listen people I haven't been exactly forward about this because I didn't want there to be any repercussions on you. But what is happening here tonight, has not been sanctioned by The Powers That Be." The Lieutenant sighed, and Chavez and the others watched on with shoulders suddenly sagging.

"Captain Chavez and I graduated together, and then served together for some time. She trusted me with this information, because she knows how personal this has become to us. Of the whole precinct, I trusted you four alone with the details of this mission, because I knew you were loyal. Quinn and Canmore have too many ears, or too many sympathizers out there…even in the Department."

"Sir…are you saying there won't be any backup?" Davis asked finally.

"There will be backup," Chavez answered. "But not until we call for it…which won't be until this fight gets started. If we call in now, we WILL lose the element of surprise. The same thing had to happen in New Gotham. It's the reason we have been forced to partner with the mob and civilians in this battle."

"Look I can't make you do this… that much I made clear to begin with. But now that you know what's at stake….well if you want to back out now I understand."

"Jesus Lou, you could loose everything over this," Sullivan murmured as he finally grasped the gravity of the situation.

"Sully, if we don't stop these people tonight, we could loose the whole damn city," Lou answered quietly. "So who wants out?"

There was silence as the four other officers looked at each other and then at the rest of the group. Surprisingly the first response came from the one who had the most to lose. "I'm in," Yokus answered definitively.

"Well hell, if mama bear can fight then I can too," Bosco said a second later.

"I'm staying," Sullivan announced.

Davis Jr. looked at the others, and then he too nodded. "I can't let all of y'all have all the fun now can I?" he added finally.

With that decided, the group fell silent as weapons were drawn, checked and then re-holstered. "Stick with your partners and don't loose contact. Let's move people," Lou ordered as Maggie and Delilah began leading each group to their assigned exit point.

**Not too far away in the Tunnels……….**

Lex tapped Brooklyn on the shoulder and nodded. The crimson gargoyle straightened and looked the small group of warriors over. "It's time. Remember the plan, watch each other's back, and we'll make it out of this alive."

The group began to up into teams of two. Angela and Derek, Broadway with Bronx, leaving Lex and Brooklyn. Broadway paused before walking past his two brothers and grinned proudly at Brooklyn. "Hey Brook, just wanted to say that you've done a great job filling in for Goliath. I know he doesn't always tell you that you're doing a good job…well I just thought you should know."

Brooklyn blinked and then chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Uhhhh…well thanks bro…I appreciate that. I'll, um, see you on the flip side okay? Be careful."

The gentle giant of the clan clasped arms with his Clan brother, and then clapped Lex on the shoulder. "Keep him outta trouble little buddy," he joked.

Lex snickered. "Goliath can't keep him out of trouble. What makes you think I can?"

"You need to create some kinda shock collar for him. One that'll zap him when he starts to get too near to trouble."

"Hey get going before you give him any more ideas! I've already played test dummy to one too many of his gizmos," Brooklyn protested as he shoved his rookery brother in the direction he needed to be heading. "And don't let Bronx eat too many thugs! He's just starting to shake off a few of those pounds he put on while sitting around with Hudson these last few months."

The gargoyle beast raised his head at the mention of his name and gave a bark of indignation. "Yeah you know what I'm talking about," Brooklyn responded. "No more slacking off for you."

There was a whine of protest from the Clan's watchdog, and Broadway chuckled as he reached down to scratch Bronx behind the ears. "Don't worry boy, I'll protect you from the big bad Brooklyn. Come on let's go get us some bad guys ok?"

The beast jumped to his feet excitedly, wagging his stump of a tail, and barked twice in anticipation. The three brothers chuckled, and said one final goodbye before Broadway and Bronx headed down the tunnel to their assigned exit point. Turning back to his smaller partner, Brooklyn cracked his knuckles. "Ready little brother?"

"After you oh fearless leader," Lex answered with a grin.

"Great I've got one of you telling me I'm doing a good job and the other is mocking me," Brooklyn sighed in mock hurt as he began to ascend a nearby ladder to the surface.

"Well someone has to keep your ego in check," Lex answered form behind.

"Yeah that's what Goliath is for."

"And then Elisa and Angela go and undo everything he says," the olive colored gargoyles teased.

Brooklyn snorted, but he couldn't argue with Lex's logic because it was true. Every time Goliath came down on him for something, or some screw-up, either Elisa or Angela was always there to help build him back up. When he had been chosen as Goliath's Second in Command, he had no idea what he was getting into.

When the Clan Leader had disappeared for almost a year with Elisa and Bronx, Brooklyn would have completely freaked out if it hadn't been for Hudson's steady guidance. He had learned a lot from the elder, and when Goliath came back, he was much more prepared to learn from Goliath's leadership.

He had come a long ways, of that he could be proud. But his temper and rashness sometimes still got the better of him, and he knew he still had a lot of learning to do before he was even qualified to lead the Clan. These last two weeks had been a great test for him, and as pleased as he was with how things were turning out, he would definitely be glad when Goliath returned to resume control.

As he moved off to one side to let Lex slip a small spy camera through the manhole cover, he began to realize just how heavy a responsibility he had been given. Lex moved the camera around and gave the all-clear sign as he moved back down a few feet to allow Brooklyn to slid the cover off.

Slipping the cover back quietly was an easy task for the beaked gargoyle, thanks to his inhuman strength. The two swiftly crawled from the hole, replaced the cover and ducked into their nearby cover. Snow was just beginning to fall, and Brooklyn eyed the tracks they had just made and swore quietly.

"Damnit, that's pretty obvious." Reaching to his throat, the gargoyle pressed the activate button. "All teams this is team Captain, hold your position. Snow's falling and covering the field. Delay of game until the coach has arrived, so be ready to move on my mark. Do you copy?"

His own teams checked in and then he repeated the message, waiting to hear from the other ten teams of humans and mutates. Slowly they began to check in, although a couple had already surfaced. Those that had surfaced said they would take care of the tracks, and Glasses informed him that he and one other team were in an area of high traffic already and didn't have to worry about it. With that concern laid to rest, the two gargoyles moved several large crates around a bit, to cover their own tracks.

Lex looked at his watch, and Brooklyn grinned as he heard the first sounds of a train locomotive approaching in the distance.

**The Train**

**Manhattan**

**2:55 am**

Dick Grayson grinned like a child as he blew the train whistle as he crossed the last major intersection before he would begin to enter the industrial section. "Man this is great! I always wanted to drive a train when I was a kid."

"Just make sure ye finish gettin' us there in one piece now lad."

"And miss the party? You guys just remember to wait until I set off my concussion charges or you'll be missing out on some of the fun."

"How much longer?" Goliath asked as he closed his cel phone with a frown.

"Only a couple of minutes more. What's wrong?"

"I'm still unable to reach Elisa and I haven't been successful in trying to reach anyone else either."

"Och lad ye know the tunnels wreak havoc with those devices. Even Xanatos hasn't come up with a comm tha' will work more than a hundred yards down there. The lass made it through the first fight, an' Dracon is still with her. I'm sure she's fine and would be havin' a fit if she knew ye was being distracted right now by worrying about her."

"You're right," the Clan Leader admitted with a sigh. "Come on, old friend. We should get into place outside now before someone spots us moving too close to the yards."

The elder gargoyle opened the door and grimaced. "Lad, remind me about this the next time I insist on following ye and Elisa around somewhere," he said as a blast of frigid air hit the small group.

"Geez it's colder here than in Gotham!" Dick complained.

"Just don't get too cozy here in lad!" Hudson teased as he ducked outside.

"Hey Goliath," Dick called to the lavender giant just before he left. Goliath looked back and Dick grinned at him. "As soon as I get this bad boy stopped and set off the grenades, go after your woman. I'll look after Hudson. Don't worry about things here, I called in a couple of favors of my own. These guys will be gift wrapped for the police in no time flat."

The vigilante winked at the gargoyle, a grin splitting his face, and Goliath arched an eyebrow before nodding slowly. "Thank you Nightwing."

"They act all big and tough and independent, but someone's gotta save them from the situations they get themselves into right?"

"Indeed. Take care Nightwing. I look forward to seeing you again under much more pleasant circumstances."


	22. Hunting the Hunter

A/N : Ok so we're getting down to the nitty gritty here. Lemme tell ya this story has been a blast to write and I'm glad that so many of you are enjoying it. I've gotten quite a few reviews from peeps, but a number of them are unsigned reviewers…like my buddy Midnight. So if you get a chance drop me a line via email cause I'd love to EM some of ya back but I don't' have and addy for ya.

I hate not being able to type in hyperlinks. So my email is at my addy is: redladyreba.

Enjoy the next chapter.

**Wayne Manor**

**New Gotham**

**2:55am**

The first thing she became aware of, was the soft bed she was in and the familiar scents surrounding her. No matter how much pain she was in, that was definitely a good sign. What was even better was the familiar brooding presence in the room.

"Hel?" she croaked out, wincing in pain at even that tiny movement.

The younger woman crawled off the windowsill where she was perched and was at her bedside in an instant. "Shhhh, I'm here," Helena soothed. "It's okay."

But even in her half conscious state, Barbara didn't miss the conflicting emotions running rampant behind those blue eyes. "Dinah?"

A pale face ducked away from hers, and she watched with rising fear as tears began to sparkle in Helena's eyes. "She's alive…but…I don't know what happened. Leslie said she might have burned herself out or something. She's got the kid down in the cave, but…she hasn't woken up since the fight."

A sick feeling settled in Barbara's stomach, and she swallowed around the tightness in her throat. "I want to see her."

It wasn't a request, but the brunette shook her head. Barbara was about to restate her demand when she saw something else in the young woman's eyes…..pain and fear. And it had nothing to do with Dinah. Realization hit her like a lightening bolt.

"Your father…" she whispered, her good arm stretching to find the young woman's hand. There was a sniffle of acknowledgment, and Barbara understood just how precious this moment was. Helena rarely opened herself up…even to Barbara. She put on the angry, badass act to cover up for the deep emotions that were always swirling just below the surface. Barbara had finally given up trying to force the young woman to open up and settled with constantly reminding Helena that she was there for her.

Even at times like this, when she was barely conscious after being toyed and tortured by Harley for nearly an hour. Helena had been coping with some serious life altering decisions these past couple of weeks and had been trying to come to grips with her emotional issues after all these years. Bruce probably couldn't have come back at a worse time for her.

The redhead watched sadly as the tears began to spill down those delicate features, and reached up with an unsteady hand to pull the young woman down to where she could hold and comfort her. Helena curled up in a ball on her side next to Barbara, as the older woman stroked her hair gently. "I'm sorry sweetie," she whispered. "I can't imagine how difficult all this must be for you right now."

"I…I don't know whether to continue hating him, or let go of it," she cried. "I've been mad at him for so long…and then he shows up now…like this…."

"Shhhh….it'll be okay Hel," Barbara whispered. "Everything will work out, and we'll all move on with our lives."

"I don't want to loose you to Him," Helena admitted.

Barbara blinked in the darkness as this new revelation hit her. My God was that why Helena hadn't wanted him to come back all these years? Was she afraid that if Batman returned to take his city back, that Barbara would turn her back on everything they had built together? That she would trade Helena as a partner for Bruce?

Her arm tightened almost convulsively around Helena's shoulders as tears of her own stung her eyes. "Helena I will never, _ever_ abandon you. Not for him, not for Dick, not for _anyone_. Remember Hel, your father ran…not me. And even when I was at my worst, you never let me run. You are the reason I was able to start over after the shooting Helena Kyle," Barbara told her fervently.

"You pushed me when I started feeling sorry for myself, you knew how to cheer me up when I got depressed, and you always seemed to know when I really needed for you to behave because life was getting a little overwhelming at the time."

That earned a sniffle and a tiny smile. "My own father didn't really know how to help me, but you were always there for me. And I tried to always be there for you – even when you were pushing me away. We're family Helena. You. Me. Dinah." Her voice cracked a little, and she tried to clear it. "I won't ever leave you."

The younger woman said nothing, just burrowed her head deeper into Barbara's side as her friend and mentor continued to soothe her trembling frame with soft words of reassurance.

**The Tunnels**

**Manhattan**

**2:59 am**

"Jesus its cold!" Bosco complained quietly for the fifth time in the last ten minutes.

His partner was still silent however as she looked upwards to the manhole they were positioned just underneath. They could hear the sounds of activity just above, and Bosco looked up speculatively.

"Hope they don't park a truck or something over that." Still no response. "Look Faith, you don't have to be here," he sighed. "You got Fred and the kids to think of. No one's gonna think any worse of ya if you decide to stay down here."

"Bosco are you scared?" she asked him suddenly.

He stared at her in the dim light, surprise quieting him for a moment. Then he looked away, knowing he couldn't lie to her. Maybe to anyone else, but not his partner. "Yeah I'm scared. I mean this whole thing sounds more like a suicide mission than a take-down. But you know me…this is what I live for."

"I'm scared too," she admitted. "But it's all or nothin' tonight right? I mean, we're the only cops out here. We have all these…civilians," she said finally for a lack of a better word, "relying on us to be their back-up. How screwed up is that anyway? We should be the ones out there on the front lines and we're the back-up."

Bosco was silent for a moment and a low rumble slowly began to fill the tunnel. "These things….the gargoyles and all that. I used ta think _they_ were the freaks. After tonight…they're the most noble creatures I've ever met. Doesn't mean I hafta like the mob now though."

There. That finally managed to get a smile out of her. "So you sure you wanna do this?" he asked as the rumble grew louder.

Faith took a deep breath and pulled her weapon out of its holster. "Every man is gonna count tonight Bosco. Besides, someone has to watch your back and make sure you don't get into trouble. Now get up there and get that cover off."

**Elsewhere….**

Brooklyn watched as the train rolled in and everyone seemed to spring to life, preparing to unload the shipment. He ginned to himself, seeing just how inattentive they were becoming to the rest of their surrounding. As the train slowed to a crawl, he reached up and tapped his comm alive. "All teams….let the games begin."

Amidst all the commotion, manholes were removed and people began scrambling out of the tunnels below, quickly searching for cover as the battle began. Lex reached down and flipped a switch on a remote that he was carrying and several blocks away a series of emergency strobe lights came to life along with the sounds of sirens causing everyone around the yard to freeze momentarily.

The light and sound show was quickly followed by several commands shouted over bullhorns by the strategically placed officers. All hell began to break loose then, and with a nod, Brooklyn and Lex leapt out of their hiding spot into the fray with a terrifying battle roar.

**Pier 21 **

**Manhattan**

**3:00 am**

"Damnit Jason he's not here," Robyn hissed from where she was trying to keep warm on the seat of her flitter.

"Aye, but where did he go? Somethin' must ha' tipped him off, but we need to know where he went."

The sound of gunfire in the distance drew the attention of both siblings, and Jason swung his binoculars in the direction of the noise. "The Clan has their hands full tonight," he remarked sadly, being able to make out just a small portion of the intense battle raging several miles away.

"Jon isn't here, an' we owe it to the Clan to help them. We're wasting our time up here."

Jason shook his head however. "Nae sister. Those men are waiting for us down there. Jon wouldn't waste men on us unless he wanted tae keep us distracted. His fight isn't with us. Tha' shipment is still on it's way and I'll bet all o' our inheritance tha' it's on the ship that's gettin' ready tae dock at the pier two miles up river."

"How do you know it's not the one that just pulled up across the way?"

"I don't see any men with guns."

"And you see them at the other one?"

"Too far to make out that much detail. So we'll wait until they start to unload and then head over."

**Pier 15**

**Manhattan**

**3:00 am**

Canmore smiled to himself when the Captain flashed him the all-clear sign as he slowly nudged the large yacht sideways against the dock. Soon he would have his guns, and the monsters wouldn't have a chance against his army. Deckhands ran back and forth along the yacht, tossing bumpers over the side and mooring lines to the men waiting below. They were all dressed in camo, and Canmore had to hand it Quinn, because they all carried weapons either on their sides, or slung over their backs. Maybe a few of his troops could learn a thing or two from Quinn's. After all the man had been a mercenary soldier for the last decade or so, fighting and leading his troops in some of the ugliest private wars around the globe.

The ramp was lowered, and a dozen or so men exited the ship, seeming intent on either tying the yacht up properly, or heading towards some of the unloading gear. Canmore began to make his way towards the ship, his pace slow and relaxed as one of his other officers ran ahead of him to check things out. Several more of his men were heading up the ramp, to help with the crates that were being brought up from within the ship's hold.

That was when a gun was pressed to his back and Her voice cut through the noise like a thunderclap.

"NYPD! EVERYONE FREEZE WHERE THEY ARE AND NO ONE WILL GET HURT!"

There was a pause, and then pandemonium broke out. Despite the danger in such a move, Canmore shoved himself backwards and to the side, knocking Elisa's weapon off aim as he ducked behind a maze of crates.

Elisa paused for a second, looking back as an all-out battle broke loose between Tony's men and Canmore's. "How did I know they were gonna say that?" she muttered to herself as she took off after the youngest Canmore.

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**3:05 am**

Xanatos pursed his lips, his eyes narrowed as he watched his wife deposit the last of the intruders into the dungeon. She looked over at him smugly and blew him a kiss. "Sorry sweetie, but I win by two."

"You have a very cunning mind dear. I think I should let you handle ferreting out our moles from now on," he complimented.

"It's about time you gave me something fun to do around here," she grinned. "But I'll allow you the fun of doing as you please with the prisoners dear." Her eyes shifted to the clock and she sobered suddenly however.

"But in the meantime, let's get you suited up. You have an appointment to keep."

The brief respite the contest had provided was gone, and Xanatos stood, tugging his tie off as he and Fox headed towards the armory. "Is the medical staff on alert?"

"They are on stand-by down in the infirmary even as we speak. I appraised them of the situation, and they have prepared for just about anything that might come their way."

Stripping off his business suit, the billionaire handed them over to his wife who meticulously hung them in the locker as he donned a simple jumpsuit before climbing into his battle suit. As Xanatos powered up the machine, Fox pulled the helmet off a nearby shelf and held it in her hands, a sense of dread beginning to fill her. Her face must have shown her emotions because he paused his actions and gave her a compassionate look.

"It's starting isn't it?" he asked. Not really needing to hear the answer as she got a distant look in her eyes.

"It's like having déjà vu. God I hope Puck is keeping Alex busy right now," she whispered as she closed her eyes tightly and tried to shake the images from her mind. They were much clearer now that the chain of events were actually in motion.

He took his helmet from her, and gave her a helpless look. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do Fox. Owen says there is nothing I can do to stop whatever is going to happen, so why did he tell me to be there at that exact minute?"

"You'll know when you get there David. Be safe and return quickly."

Just as he was about to kiss her the alarms sounded, and they both frowned, annoyed. "Don't these people get a clue?" Fox muttered as she grabbed a headset, some body armor and one of Xanatos Enterprise's newest test weapons along with a couple of back-up pistols already loaded and ready to fire in their hip holsters.

Xanatos finished powering up his suit as his wife quickly donned her own protective equipment. "Do you think you can handle this alone?" he asked looking down at the chronometer on his battle suit's arm.

"Don't worry about me, love. If things get out of control, I'm sure Puck and Alex will step in. Besides, I've been looking to flex my magic muscles," she answered as her eyes flashed green. "I'll follow you to the roof and provide cover fire."

The couple jogged through the castle, up several flights of stairs and then paused at one of the exterior doors. Looking at each other, Xanatos nodded and then burst through the door. His wife was right on his heels and they split into two different directions, weapons held ready, waiting for their targets to present themselves.

It was with some amusement that they realized the alarms had sounded because Demona had landed in the courtyard. The immortal jumped back, surprised by their sudden exit, and ducked behind a corner growling.

"Xanatos where is my daughter?!" she demanded loudly.

"I might ask what you are doing here first," he answered lowering his weapon, when the gargess didn't openly attack him right away.

"I was out gliding when I saw and felt the magic being used in the Aerie. What in all nine hells is going on here and where is my daughter?" she asked again as she stepped out cautiously from around the corner.

"We've come under attack by an army of Canmore's men. Fox and I have taken care of the aerial intruders, and Puck is with my son taking care of the ground troops. The Clan is over at the train yards helping to stop a massive shipment of those guns that were being smuggled in. Now I'd really love to stay and chat, but now that we've wrapped up things on our end, I need to get down to Pier 15 to help Elisa catch Canmore."

Demona's eyes glowed bright red. "The Hunter is going to be there?" she growled out.

"Yes, he's the one-," but his statement went unheard as the indigo gargoyle ran from the courtyard and leapt off the castle wall.

Xanatos turned to look at his wife, who merely shrugged. "Puck didn't say anything about stopping her. Let her go."

Xanatos looked back at where Demona had leapt, her form already growing smaller in the night sky as she used her millennia of experience to glide as fast as possible. "I really can't get there any sooner?" he asked looking down at his chronometer once more.

Fox rested a hand over his metal clad one and he looked up into her eyes. "David, for once listen to him. Puck would have found a loophole if there was one." Her eyes suddenly grew distant, and a look of immense sadness filled her face.

"Fox?"

His wife stayed locked in her vision and he watched her intently for several more seconds before she seemed to sag a bit as she looked back up at him. "David there is one you will not save, but there is another that you can. That is why you are going. Puck was right David. Do not show up a minute too soon, or a minute too late, or you will condemn that person to a fate worse than death."

David looked at her puzzled, but she merely shook her head. "Go David," was all she said.

And so he did.

**Pier 21**

**Manhattan**

**3:05 am**

The two eldest Canmore's surveyed their handiwork one last time, making sure the bonds on their captives would hold until the police arrived.

"You can't just leave us out here like this!" one man exclaimed. "It's freezing!"

"Aye and ye have done just fine these past three hours. Now quit ye whining, because there's a nice warm cell just waiting for ye to call it home," Robyn snapped at the man as she straightened and nodded to her brother.

He was already waiting on his flitter, having finished checking his own captives. "Let's go Robyn, we don't know how long Elisa can hold them off."

"Did ye see who else was with her?" Robyn asked climbing onto her own flitter.

"I barely recognized her….it was the hair," he answered, a smile playing at the edges of his lips. His sister chuckled, and gave him a knowing glance as they fired up their flitters and lifted off. "I didn't see Goliath there however."

They rose above the buildings, and steered their vehicles towards the battle that was now raging a few miles away. An angry roar suddenly split the night, causing the two siblings to look at each other. "Well either ye need a stronger pair o' binoculars, or he just showed up, but I recognize that battle cry anywhere brother."

"Aye, and it looks like the Demon has come out to play as well. Look," he said in a low, pensive voice as he pointed off to the south where Demona was closing in.

"Do ye think she'll be a friend or a foe?"

"We have ta find Jonny first, or she will kill him," Jason answered as he urged his flitter on faster.

**Pier 21**

**Manhattan**

**3:05 am**

"Give it up Jon!" Elisa shouted as she slowly rounded a corner, gun ahead of her as she scanned the dark allies around her.

"You think because you show up with a handful of cops I'll just turn myself in?" he laughed somewhere nearby.

There was a roar, and Elisa smiled to herself. She figured he would show up as soon as Matt told him about the change in plans. Thankfully, Pier 15 was closer to the train yards than Pier 21. The Clan Leader would have spotted the commotion easily on his way to the original docking site.

"No, but the alternative is a lot less promising," she shouted back at Jon as she began to home in on his location. Why did the perps always have to make it so difficult?

"If I go down tonight traitor, I'm going tae take as many of ye and the monsters as I can!" he shouted defiantly, his brogue starting to come through in his anger.

There. Just around the corner of that next warehouse. By the sound of his voice, Elisa was able to tell which way he was traveling and doubled back around her own building to come up on him from behind. She hid in the shadows of a doorway, and watched as he crept around a corner, just down from her, walked along the length of the wall and slipped around the end of the building closest to her.

Pausing another for a moment longer, she took in a steadying breath, and then silently chased after him. She was almost on top of him, before he realized she was behind him. He spun just in time to receive a nasty pistol whip to the jaw. With a grunt he staggered backwards, raising his own weapon and firing twice at her.

The bullets hit Elisa at point blank, and he managed to smile around his split lip as she fell to the ground clutching her chest and gasping for breath. Staggering to his feet, and approached her, gun raising to put a bullet between her eyes when she rolled to one side, her leg sweeping out to knock him back to the ground. His gun clattered off into the darkness, and he stared at her in surprise as she rolled up to her knees, still struggling for breath, but very much alive.

Eyes narrowed, he spat a mouthful of blood and crawled back to his feet, wary of her own weapon. He could see the anger burning in her eyes, and he grinned at her- mocking her. Holding his hands out he laughed at her. "Now what? Are ye goin' tae shot me? I'd expect nothing less of a woman that would whore herself out to an animal"

She flinched, and her eyes turned deadly cold. The gun in her hand trembled as her rage built and Canmore knew he only had to press her a little further before she snapped. "Ye cannot kill a cause. Even if ye kill me, my followers will Hunt ye down. They will kill your precious Clan and everything associated with them. And I've made sure that it will be done right before your eyes."

"Bastard!" she screamed at him as she leapt at him.

It was the opening he had been waiting for, and he quickly knocked the gun out of her hands as they struggled to kill each other with their bare hands.


	23. Inevitabilities

A/N: Woohoo! two post two nights in a row……yeah I know I'm killing everyone with the suspense. I swear I won't leave you hanging too long at the end of this chapter! This is section is for all of you who asked about Tim Drake…..grins thanks for the reminder! P.S. I went back and re-edited the last section for time-line purposes. Ok so I may be compressing things a bit, but hey anything can happen in my world right?!

**Train Yards**

**Manhattan**

**3:10 am**

Nightwing grinned over at the young man, fighting expertly by his side. "Thanks for showing up Tim."

"Anytime boss. You know I live for this kind of stuff."

"You see Wally around?"

"Does anyone ever see The Flash?" the teen joked as he threw a volley of batarangs at several soldiers that had gotten too close for his comfort.

Just then a blur of red zipped in front of them and paused. "Hey I resemble that remark!" The Flash protested with a grin before disappearing once more.

Tim Drake ducked down as several gunshots began to track towards where he and Dick had hunkered down for cover. "Have to tell you Nightwing, this is one hell of a party you invited us too. How'd things go back home?"

Nightwing sobered a bit. "Honestly….I'm not sure. I know they were successful, but that's pretty much it. That and Oracle was under attack when I left. I just hope one of the others was able to break away to help her."

"Ah don't worry about it man. She turned that Clock Tower into a friggin fortress after last year." The younger man stood with Nightwing as they skillfully took out a small group of soldiers running past their hiding spot. "Besides, I don't see the overprotective Huntress leaving Barbara alone for too long after she knew she was in trouble."

"Yeah….you're probably right." Inside Dick fervently hoped the youngest member to the Bat Family was right.

"Holy crap!" Sully exclaimed as he and his young partner ducked down behind a parked truck just in time. "This is a friggin' war zone!"

"We are either incredibly crazy or incredibly stupid to be out here right now," Ty agreed.

"Both I think. You see Bosco and Faith?"

"Yeah they're holed up inside that warehouse just across from us. Hey you catch the other guy in the costume?"

"Yeah, he looked like a kid. You know who he is?"

"No, but this is like a fantasy come true."

Sully looked over at his partner and raised his eyebrow. "You fantasize about freezing your ass off in the middle of the night while being outnumbered and outgunned in the nastiest street battle in Manhattan history?"

"No man," he groaned as he took aim and fired off a couple of rounds before ducking back down. "I just can't believe I'm here fighting alongside real super-heroes and stuff."

"Yeah well they work outside the law that we bust our butts to uphold so don't let this all go to your head."

"You take all the fun outta things Sully."

"Imagine that," his partner remarked sarcastically. "I'm taking the fun out of a gun battle."

Brooklyn took out two more creeps with guns and tossed the extra HQ's to Lex who snagged them and scrambled off to dump them a large crate that Broadway and Bronx were guarding until the guns could be properly disposed of. Angela and Talon were systematically working their way through the dozens of soldiers that were trying to shoot anything that moved at this point.

It was definitely risky. Talon had been grazed in arm. Delilah had taken a bullet in the leg, but was still fighting with the combined fierceness of her two parents. Angela had been clipped in the wing, but she would be able to glide still with little to no assistance. Even he had been nicked by a stray bullet.

Chavez had informed him that the police were on their way, and ETA was fifteen minutes. The officers that had volunteered, were holding the perimeter, and they were reporting all men accounted and uninjured so far.

There were no transmissions from Glasses, but then Brooklyn hadn't really expected any. He could see that the dark skinned man and his team were silently and efficiently working their way through the ranks, collecting a wide variety of weapons as they went.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise came in the form of the two friends that had shown up to assist. Brooklyn watched as the young man dressed in brilliant red, green, and yellow quickly partnered up with the man called Nightwing and they joined in the fight, working together like a well oiled machine. It was plainly obvious that they had worked together for some time, and had a connection similar to what the Clan shared.

All in all, things were going well. The odds against them were starting to grow more even with each passing minute, and Brooklyn realize that at this rate, they would have this whole place gift wrapped for the police by the time they arrived.

**Wayne Manor**

**New Gotham**

**3:10 am**

There was a brief knock at the door, and Helena straightened up with a protective growl as someone entered the room.

"Easy tiger, it's just me," Leslie chuckled quietly as she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her.

Helena immediately quieted and slipped off Barbara's bed to allow the older woman access to Barbara.

"Well Ms. Gordon I must say it's thankfully been a long time since I've had to do this much patch-up work on you," Leslie said gently as she sat down next to Barbara and began to look her over with a practiced eye.

"Dinah?" Barbara whispered hoarsely.

Beginning a physical evaluation of Barbara, the doctor was careful to keep her face neutral and her voice calm. "I won't lie to you Barbara, because I know you wouldn't appreciate it. But there's not much I can tell you at this point. Listening to everyone's description of what happened, I'd say Dinah overexerted herself and overtaxed her meta abilities. Physically she'll be okay, a few cuts and bruises that should heal in a day or two."

"But?" Barbara pressed, reading her old friend's carefully guarded features.

"But she's in a coma, and her brain and neural activity are erratic. I'm worried that her body may shut down completely if it doesn't find a way to reset itself and balance things out."

Barbara's good eye closed as tears formed and she couldn't help the small sob that bubbled past her lips. Helena was at her side instantly, firmly clasping her hand. Leslie looked at both women, and tried to smile. "She's a strong girl. I know this is hard, believe me I really do. But Dinah is a telepath and right now she needs for you to be strong. With her shields completely gone who knows what she's picking up on now. So let yourselves grieve now, here. But as soon as you leave this room, you need to leave all thoughts of sadness and doubt behind. That kind of negative thinking could be the difference between her living or dying," she lectured gently.

After satisfying herself with Alfred's skilled medical attentions, she drew out a syringe and checked it over before injecting it into Barbara's unfeeling thigh. "I imagine you're in quite a bit of pain. This will help with the pain, and help you to relax. I don't doubt that you are both sporting concussions right now. I'm going to make sure Reese checks on you both regularly for the rest of the night. I'll take up in the morning, but right now these old bones need to get some rest. I swear I don't know how Alfred does it."

Barbara's eyes were slowly dragging shut even before Leslie left the room, and when Reese tentatively entered the room several minutes later, even Helena's were growing heavy. Dimming the light, the detective pulled a chair close to the bed where he propped his feet up as he reached out to brush an errant lock of hair out of Helena's eyes.

"You ok?" he whispered.

She snorted, her lips twisting in a non-humorous smile. "Was I ever?" she asked sarcastically. Then she sobered. "This sucks," she stated simply.

"Yeah…..it does. But I'll be here for you Helena. Now get some sleep."

"Who died and made you boss of this relationship," she mumbled sleepily even as her eyes slid shut.

"Thankfully not you."

**Pier 15**

**Manhattan**

**3:10 am**

It was an ugly fight by anyone's standards. Years of pent up anger and hatred had risen to the surface in both combatants, and was now venting itself in it's most primal form of violence- a knock down, dragged-out, no holds barred street fight. The adrenaline was coursing so strongly in both their veins that neither was really aware of the pain and damage they were inflicting on each other with each vicious blow that landed on unprotected flesh.

Elisa definitely had the upper hand given the body armor she was wearing. But her previously injured side had split open again and she was bleeding heavily from a broken nose. Canmore wasn't faring any better, his brow split open above one eye, and limping from where she had nearly dislocated his knee with a well placed kick. He spat a glob of blood, two teeth coming out with it, and she smiled tauntingly at him.

That's when he decided he'd had enough abuse and dove for her discarded gun. Elisa was closer to it, and she dove for it as well. Realizing he'd never reach the gun in time, Jon changed course and tackled her to the ground roughly sending them both skidding towards the gun. She twisted under him, not wanting to leave her back unprotected, and realized her mistake as she saw her own gun in his hand as the handle bore down on her face. There was a sickening crack, a flash of excruciating pain, and then her world went blissfully dark.

Canmore glared down at the unconscious woman, his breath coming in harsh pants as he drew his knife. A furious bellow, and the sound of more gunfire and fighting from nearby made him pause however. A cruel smile spread across his lips as he stood, hauling Maza's limp body roughly from the ground. She would die alright…and HE would watch her die.

Pulling her body against his as a human shield, he slipped his knife under her throat in case she woke up and decided to struggle. Then he slowly made his way towards the fighting, dragging his human captive unceremoniously.

Demona landed on the roof of an abandoned warehouse a block away from the battle. Eyes taking stock of the fight, she felt her adrenaline begin to pump as she realized just how violent things were below. She was unable to locate the Hunter amidst the humans running around, but she quickly spotted Goliath fighting through a wall of Canmore's thugs. She raised an approving eyebrow as she took noticed the body armor he was finally wearing. Then she had to blink several times in shocked surprise as she realized that he was fighting side by side with Tony Dracon of all people. There were a handful of Tony's men spread throughout the crowded port equipment and warehouses, desperately trying to aid their boss in containing the men that Canmore had brought according to Xanatos. A truckload more of Dracon's men were just arriving on the outskirts, all piling out armed to the teeth before the truck had even come to a stop.

Torn as to whether she should leap into the fray or continue on to help her daughter, she hesitated perhaps a moment too soon. One of Canmore's men, obviously wise enough to keep an eye on the rooftops, spotted her and took a poorly aimed shot. Growling, Demona ducked, and then decided she wasn't about to let the human get away with the stupid move. Besides, if she killed anyone tonight at least she could justify it.

Goliath looked upwards in surprise as he heard the familiar battle screech of his former mate, and had to smirk when he heard Dracon mutter something about Canmore being in deep shit now. _Indeed_, he thought silently to himself, actually relieved to see the violently-prone gargess. True to form, Demona began to sweep through Canmore's ranks with little care to her own safety or theirs_. Immortality definitely has it perks_, he mused as she took several shots point blank, but still pressed forward, the pain only enhancing her rage as her body instantly began to heal itself.

**3:14 am**

Canmore halted his approach as he heard the Demon's battle cry. He had been hunting for her for so long and his heart hammered in his chest when he realized she was actually here. After all these centuries, he would not only be rid of the Clan Leader and his human slut, but he would be able to capture the Demona that had started his family's quest all those centuries ago.

Carefully…he had to tread carefully. Reaching for his comm, he shifted his burden roughly, and began to orchestrate what was left of his troops. First he needed to pull them back. It was clear their forward attacks were useless against her immortality, and Dracon's forces were wiping out his manpower very quickly. He needed to regain control of the situation quickly and there was only one way he could do that….hostages always worked well.

Demona had finally reached Goliath and Dracon and she sneered at them both as they fought off one attacker after another. "My my, Goliath, I see you're really dragging the bottom of the barrel lately. What's the matter? Your precious Detective too fragile to waste on scum like this?" she taunted as she threw a soldier roughly into a group of two others.

Goliath rounded on her, his eyes flaring. "Don't start with me right now Demona," he ground out menacingly. Demona took a small step backwards. It was the first time he had actually sounded like he was about to let all his fury out on her, and she smirked a bit. So. The noble gargoyle had finally faced reality.

"I hate to interrupt your little ex-spat, but I think something's up," Dracon panted, though his tone was thick with sarcasm. He scanned the area, and his eyes landed on a discarded HQ laying several feet from an unconscious soldier's body. He dove towards it, met with only a spattering of gun fire, and then crouched behind the safety of a loading crane.

The air slowly grew quieter, and the two gargoyles waited, sensing something was about to happen.

Canmore glanced around the corner and grinned. Perfect. Well it would have been, if his brother and sister hadn't shown up. _Damnit_! he thought to himself as he watched them land a couple of hundred feet from Goliath and the Demon. He hesitated, but then he realized that his siblings needed to see the gargoyle and the human die. They needed to be reminded of their heritage. It was all Maza's fault that Jason had been sidetracked. With her out of the way, the eldest Canmore wouldn't be blinded by the one –sided love he still held for the woman.

Jason's voice was strong and clear as he stepped off his flitter with the aid of his battle suit, and turned in a slow circle. "It's over Jon! This needs to stop now," he called out in a loud voice.

"I think not brother," Jon answered as he stepped around the corner of the warehouse, dragging Elisa in front of him.

There was a sudden shuffling of noise as both Dracon and Canmore's men repositioned to cover each other as the main players all stepped out into clear view of each other. Canmore smirked triumphantly as he watched Goliath tense, his lip drawn up in a deadly snarl. The Demon's eyes were blood red, and she tensed, ready to leap.

A knife to Maza's throat, caused everyone to freeze- everyone except Demona of course. But Goliath held her back. Jason slowly set his weapon down and spread his arms open. "Now what brother? Are ye goin' to start killing humans too?"

God she hurt so badly. A large part of her wanted nothing more than to stay in the void of darkness that shielded her from the pain, but her will to survive reminded her that she blacked out in the middle of a deadly battle. If she was to live she had better wake up and make sure she got to safety before she allowed the blackness to consume her again.

Easier said than done. She knew she was waking up, because she could hear voices. But she couldn't understand them. Of course that could be due, in part, to the blood roaring in her ears as her adrenaline kicked back in trying to compensate for the agony she was in. The resulting effect was overwhelming to say the least.

Goliath watched as Jason tried to talk some sense into his brother, which he knew would be a futile attempt, and tried to formulate some plan of getting Elisa out of the madman's grasp. She was still alive, that much he was certain of, but had no idea the extent of her injuries. As Robyn added her voice to the argument, Demona shifted slightly.

"She's waking up," she mumbled under her breath and Goliath focused back on Elisa.

Elisa was indeed starting to stir in Jon's arms, and the crazed man seemed to realize it as his grip on the knife tightened a fraction. Elisa's head was still slumped forward, her long raven tresses covering her face. Her body jerked suddenly and then despite the knife digging into her throat she leaned forward to retch. Canmore disgustedly allowed the woman to collapse to her knees for a moment to be sick, but he never took the knife from her throat.

All conversation had halted, as everyone focused on Elisa, waiting to see if she could somehow turn the tide of things now that she was awake. As soon as she lifted her face though, that hope fled as quickly as it risen.

**3:16 am**

Elisa Maza had never been in so much pain that she had actually puked from it. As her fingers ground into the concrete and her whole body convulsed with each spasm, she desperately hoped she would never be in this position again for the rest of her life. As the spasms finally receded, she distantly became aware of the sharp pricking sensation along the skin of her throat. That's when she was roughly hauled back to her feet and the blood roared in her ears for a few more seconds as her body struggled to stay awake.

Raising her head, Elisa tried to focus on her surroundings. She couldn't see out of one eye, the pain radiating from that region of her face made it feel like the whole eye had been ripped out. Given the amount of blood that was seeping down her face, it may have been for all she knew. She couldn't really understand much of what was being said, and could barely focus on the images wavering before her. It took Elisa a few moments to realize things had gone from bad to worse, since she was now a hostage. And somewhere along the way, Demona and Jon's siblings had joined the party. God this was just too screwed up.

Goliath drew in a sharp breath as Elisa's head lifted, and this time it was Demona holding him back as he tried to lunge forward. The knife was pressed into Elisa's throat hard enough to break the skin, and Demona jerked him to a halt as she too stared in surprise.

It was more than obvious that the Detective had been through hell and back over the course of the last few hours. But the Hunter had really done a number on her face. Even from where she stood, Demona realized that Elisa had suffered more than just a concussion from the blow to her bleeding and disfigured orbital region. It was amazing really, that she was even conscious. Of course she must have been in tremendous pain and that though brought some perverse pleasure to the immortal.

Goliath wanted her alive however, and his tense posture wasn't going to help matters. Especially when it was apparent any help from Elisa was out of the question. She was trembling like a newborn hatchling, hardly able to stay on her feet. The Hunter family started arguing with each other, the discussion growing more heated.

There was a slight movement off to one side, and Elisa seemed to focus on Tony as he slowly shifted into a better position, the HQ still in his hands.

There was no way out of this, she realized slowly. Jason and Robyn would never reason with Jon. All they were doing was providing Elisa with an opportunity to act. That was out of the question however…at least on her part. She had spotted Tony with the HQ in hand, and then closed her eyes as her jumbled mind finally drew the only solution that would end all of this.

Slowly looking back forward, Elisa's gaze settled on where Goliath was being held back by Demona. Her vision darkened for a minute, and she felt her knees begin to buckle. When things refocused again, Elisa idly noted that Goliath looked like he was ready to rip Canmore's head off right now. For once, she was actually glad Demona was there, because she was the only one who would be able to control him.

Nausea threatened to consume her again, and she spat out a mouthful of accumulating blood to help dissipate the feeling. She and Reese had sworn that they would see this thing through to the end no matter what the cost. Well this was it.

She would end it here and now.

**3:19 am**

Demona's eyes narrowed as Elisa's gaze focused on her for several long burning seconds. She watched carefully as Elisa's eye slid to where Demona's hand was gripping Goliath's arm tightly. Then she tilted her head slightly in Tony's direction.

_What in the hell?_

Elisa's chin lifted slightly, and Demona's eyes widened suddenly in understanding. The look the human gave Demona unnerved her completely. In that single glance, Elisa conveyed emotions that neither woman would have ever voiced to each other under any other circumstance.

Why did she decide to glide by the castle tonight?

Dracon watched tensely as the argument escalated, and Elisa began to take in the situation. After nearly passing out twice, she seemed to focus on Demona for several long drawn out seconds before her gaze fixed on him….and the gun in his hands.

Tony froze.

Taking a deep breath, she seemed to steady herself as a look of determination and resignation filled her battered face.

Shoot, she mouthed to him.

Tony's eyes widened and he stood there unwilling to process what she was asking of him.

She glared at him.

He slid a nervous glance towards Canmore who was still preoccupied with his siblings. Then he made the mistake of looking over at Goliath. The look of dawning horror on the gargoyle's face caused him to hesitate further.

A wave of pain must have washed over Elisa, because her features twisted and she jerked in Canmore's grasp. When she finally lifted her head again and opened her undamaged eye, he swallowed hard against the pleading look on her face. "Shoot," she whispered.

**3:20 am**

Canmore froze, hearing his captive speak for the first time. He glanced around, suddenly realizing something was going on while he had been distracted. Goliath was on the verge of panic, Demona was holding onto him tightly, and Dracon had somehow managed to creep into a spot where he had a clear shot.

"Stay back!" he shouted at Dracon, who stood frozen, the HQ only half aimed in their direction. He dug the knife under Elisa's chin, the point disappearing under delicate flesh. "I'll slit her throat if any of you take one more step closer!"

The tense silence was broken by a cold, humorless chuckle. Swallowing carefully against the weapon buried in her neck, Elisa couldn't help but laugh at that empty threat. Not that she doubted that Canmore would cut her open in a heartbeat…but that he was implying that he might actually let her live.

"You…really think…any of us…believe… I'm getting outta…this alive Jon?"

"Shut up," he hissed at her.

"You know…what my only regret…in life is?" she pressed, her gaze fixing on Goliath's as he stilled for a moment in Demona's tight grasp. The despair in his eyes was too much finally and she shut her eye from that pain.

"Choosing the wrong side of the war?" he taunted, his grip digging painfully into her injured side causing her to cry out in further agony. She was left panting harshly, her mind barely registering her surroundings for several more seconds. Her head was pressed up against his shoulder due to the knife at her throat and she was able to slide her head sideways enough so that she could look him in the eye.

"No…."she finally grit out a minute later. "I regret…not killing…you sooner. The irony…will be that…you'll die….next to someone…that loved those…that you wish to kill…A human…that gave her heart…to a gargoyle…."

"SHUT UP!!!" he screamed, his hand wrapping in her hair and jerking her head back as he fully exposed her throat. The knife blade was poised, and she saw the moment he was about to act in his eyes.

"Damnit Tony SHOOT!!!!!" she screamed with what strength she had left.

The next few seconds stretched out into a slow eternity.

The knife began to cut.

Tony raised the gun.

Goliath bellowed.

Gunfire erupted.

**3:22am**

The pressure from the knife suddenly disappeared as Canmore fumbled for his gun. Elisa struggled weakly, trying to keep him off balance all the while screaming at Tony to shoot.

Tony began to take aim.

Goliath threw Demona off and leapt.

Canmore found his gun and began to draw it.

Tony's finger tightened on the trigger.

And Goliath slammed into him just as the gun discharged. The weapon was flung upwards as it fired, and the explosive bullet slammed into one of the structural supports of the crane Tony had been near.

Dracon went flying. Goliath slowly rose to his feet as a horrific noise cut through the gunfire and caused the Clan Leader to look upwards.

Elisa's eye widened, and she jerked in Canmore's loose grip screaming Goliath's name as the massive framework of the steel crane began to collapse.

People scattered.

There was one last howl amid the deafening screech of steel being warped and twisted against it's will.

**3:23 am**

And then the night went deathly silent.


	24. A Hero Lost A Hero Saved

A/N: Ok one last quick post before I leave for the weekend. Sorry if these last couple of chapters have been a bit rough. I've been staying up really, really late at night churning these out, and haven't had much time to beta them. Thanks again to everyone who has been reviewing my stories. Phoenix a tip of my hat to you because you bring up some great questions. As a writer I really appreciate that. This has been a tremendous challenge to write (one of the reasons I've been so into writing this story) because I have been dabbling in a number of universes: comic, cartoon, tv series. As a writer I want to strive for as much continuity as possible, and several of you have made some great comments that have helped me to keep the story flowing (I hope). I want to apologize for any timelines and such that I might be trampling on however. Ok this A/N is going on too long…..enjoy!

_**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (like my new line break?)**_

The world had frozen.

At least that's how Elisa Maza would forever remember that moment.

After the crane had collapsed, everyone froze for what seemed an eternity. Not really understanding, nor caring how she was still alive, Elisa was oblivious to the fact that she had been freed from Canmore's hold. All she could do was sink to her knees, her body suddenly numb, as she stared in shock at the twisted steel that had just buried Goliath alive.

"No," she whispered faintly, tears streaming down her face.

Demona finally stirred from where Goliath had shoved her aside, a similar look of horror filling her angular face. The silence was finally shattered by her deafening scream of grief and rage as she leapt towards the wreckage, intent on uncovering her ex-mate.

"Oh god no," Elisa whispered to herself once more, Demona's anguish cutting through her like a knife. A cold lump had settled in her stomach, and she doubled over, one hand braced against the ground as nausea swept through her. She watched as her tears and blood pooled in front of her, her brain barely registering the handle of a dropped pistol within arm's reach.

**3:23:30**

A cold chuckle and the click of a gun's safety, brought the gravely wounded woman out of her misery however. Glancing up, she watched as Jon brought his gun back up and began to aim it at Demona's turned back.

"And now you will be mine Demon," he whispered, a look of complete madness in his eyes.

It was just loud enough, that only Elisa heard the malicious statement. Everyone else was still focused on the crane wreckage and took no note of Jon's actions. Her breath coming in harsh sobbing pants, she felt a rage build in her that she had never allowed before. As that rage boiled through her, Elisa's body responded with a massive surge of adrenaline that shut her mind off from the pain of her injuries. Her world came into sudden focus, and as the gun seemed to materialize into her hand, she had only one thought…one emotion….pulsing through her veins with every beat of her heart.

Revenge.

**3:23:35**

The armor clad Xanatos had been frozen in mid-air for several seconds, grimly processing the devastation below. He had been close enough to witness the collapse of the crane, but too far away to be of any use in stopping it. Seconds after the collapse Demona launched herself at the pile, her howl clearly heard for several miles around. Spurred back into action, Xanatos continued his approach wondering how he could be of any help now.

Then he watched Canmore raise his weapon towards Demona's turned back. But it was the movement from the ground several feet in front of him that caught his attention. Elisa's bloodied face was turned upwards, and the expression that had filled her normally calm and staid face, unsettled him.

It was a look he had seen on only one other in his lifetime. As she groped for a nearby discarded gun, her intent clear, David Xanatos was suddenly sure of why he had been sent. He owed Goliath a debt of gratitude that he thought he could never repay. Now as he pushed his battle suit to its maximum intercept speed, he realized he would finally be able to repay the noble gargoyle. Demona had succumbed to the violent madness of her grief and blood-thirsty vengence centuries ago- he would not allow Elisa to slip into that same fate.

Turning his speakers on as loudly as possible, he shouted desperately at her- at anyone- to stop her next actions.

**3:23:40**

Jon's finger tightened on the trigger, but not before there was a shout from above as Elisa lurched to her feet once more. Two rounds emptied from his gun. Two rounds that would have been two perfect killing shots in the Demona's back. Two rounds that were now buried in that damn armor Elisa was wearing.

The detective had staggered backwards, her breath lodged in her chest from the impact. There was another shot from somewhere off to one side, and a bullet struck Elisa in the leg. Canmore smiled as she collapsed to one knee, his weapon now aiming for her unprotected skull as she struggled to raise her own gun. With a triumphant smile, he pulled his trigger and the soft click of an empty chamber filled the air.

**3:23:45**

Elisa held her breath for a second longer as she watched Canmore fire once more, only to be met with yet another dry click. The gun was empty.

A cold smile thinned her lips as she locked gazes with him and finally found the strength and will to raise her own gun.

Demona had started to turn when she heard Xanatos' shout from in the air nearby. What happened next stunned the violent gargoye, and caused her to question everything she had believed for all these centuries. She watched as Elisa, the woman that she had despised so much that she had tried to kill her on more than one occasion, stood, and took two bullets in the chest that had been meant for Demona's back.

Elisa managed to remain on her feet a moment longer until a third shot bit deep into her unprotected thigh. Even on her knees, Elisa's intentions never wavered. Even when it was apparent that Jon's aim was already true when her own weapon was still pointing at the ground. Xanatos' desperate shout, and Elisa's determination were enough to spur the confused gargoyle into action.

**3:23:50**

She had won. The price had been high, and the costs were more than she wanted or cared to think about. But justice was finally being served, and her Clan…her City would be safe once more. It was without hesitation that she tightened her finger on the trigger, even as there were several shouts and cries of protest from those nearby. It wasn't until a blue body slammed into her, just as she fired that she realized a couple of those protesters were close enough to take her victory away from her.

**3:23:55**

"No," she whispered, as Demona's face swam in and out of focus while she struggled against an iron grip. "Can't……fail……must….die…" was the last thing she said before she blacked out completely.

Demona looked up from where she was crouched over the human and snarled menacingly at Canmore who was being hauled up from the ground where Xanatos had tackled him.

"I should rip your limbs off you right now," Demona screamed at Jon as she stood and advanced on him.

He sneered at her and spat on the ground, and Xanatos was hard pressed to keep the violent gargoyle from doing exactly what she threatened. "Demona!" he shouted at her before calming his voice. "I'm still detecting weak life signs in the wreckage" the billionaire said quietly, trying to redirect her attention.

She stilled in his iron grip and then looked back at the crane wreckage. Yanking her arm from his robotic hand, she stalked back over to the wreck and merely looked at it. Her anger fled in the face of overwhelming grief as she realized there was no way Goliath could survive the injuries he must have sustained.

"That's right Demon….yet another one will die because of y-."

The words were cut off by a single gun shot. Demona whirled around and stared at the scene that greeted her eyes. Jon's taunting words had been cut off by a single bullet to his head, and his own brother held the still smoking gun.

Jason's eyes were closed tightly, his breathing rapid and harsh. Robyn moved to relieve a shocked Xanatos of her brother's body, a haunted look in her eyes. _By the Dragon_, Demona thought. _They came here to kill him_, she realized as Jason's eyes opened and lifted to meet her own.

His words were quiet and his voice rough with grief, but his tone was completely sincere. "I'm sorry for all th' trouble my family has wrought on yuir kind all these centuries Demona. And I regret tha' it took us so long tae track him down, before he had killed so many….The Hunt is over now." He looked past her to the wreckage and then to Elisa's still body.

Demona watched as he moved to her side, and crouched over her, his hand hovering just over her face as if he wanted to touch her but he couldn't bring himself to do it. A look of guilt and pain flashed across his features and he closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm so sorry," he whispered as a tear escaped and ran down his face to land on her cheek.

He abruptly stood, and without another glance backwards, he followed his sister to where she waited on the flitter and mounted his own. As they took off into the night, Xanatos walked up next to Demona. He examined the wreck carefully, and then bent down to grip a large section of it in his armored hands. Demona silently joined him, and together they lifted a portion of the metal up and back.

Dracon's men were rounding up what was left of Canmore's, and Tony himself was limping over to check on Elisa. He was sporting a nasty gash above one eyebrow, and several large abrasions from where he had hit the pavement. None of that seemed to matter though as he knelt next to Elisa and gingerly took her into his arms and watched the scene several feet away as he tried to stop her bleeding.

As they lifted the several more large sections out of the way, there was a howl of agony from within the twisted steel. Everyone froze for a second, and Dracon felt his breath catch. In his arms, Elisa twitched. Xanatos and Demona broke from their shock as another low groan rolled up through the wreck, and the two began to rip into the mess fervently trying to reach the Clan Leader.

As the last piece of steel was lifted and thrown off to the side, there was a collective gasp from everyone close enough to see the gargoyle's body. Even Dracon had to look away from the grisly scene for a minute. As he looked down, he was surprised to see Elisa's uninjured eye, fluttering as she struggled to wake up.

About a minute later, she finally managed to gain consciousness, however fleetingly it would last. She focused on Tony's face, and a look of despair filled her own. "Goliath?" she asked in a bare whisper.

The mob boss swallowed, and forced himself to look back over to where Demona was crouched next to Goliath her hand clutching his. Looking back down, Dracon silently pleaded with her to let the matter rest. But she had heard his cry, and her own gaze slowly began to shift to where he had looked.

His throat tightened at her strangled cry, and he wordlessly stood, cradling her gently in his arms as he brought her over to where Goliath's body lay. How he had survived even this long was a small miracle…or perhaps a curse, considering how much pain he was obviously in. His body was crushed in numerous places, and a piece of steel had pierced through his chest, pinning him to the ground. It was probably keeping him alive for the moment, but once removed he would clearly die within moments. The damage to his body was irreparable. Demona's expression was clear testimony of that.

Tony knelt, and settled Elisa on the ground next to Goliath and across from Demona. Then he stepped back to give the three of them privacy. Tears spilling down her cheeks, Elisa reached out to take Goliath's other hand in hers and his labored breathing caught for a moment as he recognized her presence. His eyes opened slowly and he rolled his head a fraction to look at her.

"Elisa," he breathed.

"I'm here," she whispered back.

"Canmore?" he asked with great effort.

"Dead. It's over now." Her hand tightened in his, and her voice cracked as she spoke the next words. "Damnit Goliath why? Why didn't you just let him shoot?" she wept bitterly.

His answer, though labored, was strong in conviction. "World needs you…Elisa Maza….wasn't…your time….not tonight…."

His eyes closed as he gasped for air, and Demona nearly let go of his hand, disgusted with the emotions they were sharing in front of her. But Goliath's hand tightened on hers and she forced her eyes to meet his. She was shocked by what she saw there.

"You…were always…my Angel…..take care…of our daughter….and watch…over our Clan…."

Then with great effort he pulled her hand and Elisa's until they were clasped along with his. "I….have loved…you both," he whispered as his grip began to slacken. "The Clan…will need you both…." Blood began to seep from the corner of his mouth and he struggled to get out the next words. "No more hatred….peace…..love….Clan…."

And with that last exhalation, Goliath, the greatest leader of Clan Wyvern, passed into a sleep that he would never awaken from.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**3:32 am**

A lesson of fun and mischief was suddenly cut short as the young pupil of The Puck froze in horror. Puck was forced to quickly deflect a couple of attacks that were being aimed at the boy as his defenses suddenly dropped completely.

With a quick spell, everything inside the room was frozen as the child's face went deathly pale and he collapsed to the floor with a haunted look in his distant gaze. Alex's normally merry mentor was instantly at his side, fighting to mask his own grief as he tried to comfort the child.

"I'm sorry Alexander," he whispered as Alec suddenly threw himself into his mentor's arms.

In the next instant the boy's mother was there, and Puck backed off to allow the child to be comforted by a maternal love that even he could never provide. He watched as Fox held her now sobbing son, quietly weeping herself as she tried to assure him that it would be okay. That they would get through this.

Feeling a rage build inside him that he hadn't felt in quite some time, the Puck turned to the frozen intruders he and Alex had been practicing with. With a darkly uttered phrase, every soldier in the room disappeared. He hoped they enjoyed their stay in the middle of the Sahara Desert with no food and water.


	25. First reports

Train Yards

Manhattan

3:35 am

Brooklyn surveyed the battle ground with a measure of pride. The police were just starting to show up, and the two Captains already present with their group were helping to direct things as the 'civilians' began to back off.

Glasses and his men were already quietly dispersing, and the Mutates had headed back down to the tunnels, uncomfortable with being in contact with so many humans. The Clan and their vigilante allies all remained behind with the few officers that put their lives on the line to help gift wrap their captives.

Nightwing made his way over to Brooklyn, and held out his hand. "Nice work Brooklyn."

"Thanks…and thanks for the extra manpower," he said nodding to the two costumed men standing next to him.

"Yeah well Wally and I go way back, and he's been complaining about how bored he's been lately. And Tim here was just happy to get out of Bludhaven. He's been minding the store for me while I've been gone."

"Speaking of which what's with the old Robin costume?" Flash asked looking over Tim's choice of costume.

The young man shrugged. "Don't know. It's been awhile since I put this on…and well it just seemed appropriate at the time."

"Well thanks again. And here comes our ever grateful fanclub," Brooklyn chuckled quietly as his sharp hearing picked up the irate shouting of the Manhattan Police Chief.

"What do you mean you couldn't trust this information with anyone! Do you realize what kind of legalities you risked with this?" he was shouting at a calm looking Chavez.

"Do you realize what kind of casualties we would be facing right now if those guns actually hit the streets tonight like they were supposed to?" she countered evenly.

"And with those…those…"

"Gargoyles," Nightwing said firmly as he walked up to the Chief. "I don't think introductions are in order sir, as it appears you recognize us."

"And why didn't the JLA or the Titans inform us of what was going on?"

"Because none of them are aware of what was happening. I'm sure you are aware of the crisis that several of them are handling in Malaysia right now. The rest are either off-planet or busy trying to maintain some semblance of order in the Middle East. Chief I believe you understand the need for discretion, and bringing in a bunch of Leaguers would have only raised suspicions. Our guns may have gone missing before we had a chance to seize them."

"But there are protocols!"

"And I believe every officer involved, followed them to the best of their ability. Relax Chief. NYPD and NGPD just made the biggest weapons raid in history. You're about to be a very popular man."

The Chief looked ready to argue more, but Nightwing flashed him a winning smile and the man's anger seemed to deflate some as Nightwing's words began to sink in. "I still want to have a word with Maza. Where is she anyway?"

"She went to Pier 21 to stop the man that started this all," Bluestone answered from where he hung at the back of the group.

The Chief looked the group over, his eyes lingering on the Clan. "I don't like vigilantes in my City," he told them firmly.

Brooklyn smirked a bit. "Even if we're the reason this city's crime has fallen nearly fifty percent over the past five years?"

"There are laws that the citizens of this city must abide by. If I sit back and allow one group to start tossing those laws out the window then the next thing you know everyone will."

"Last time I checked, we weren't citizens," Brooklyn remarked with just enough ice in his tone to make the Chief squirm a bit.

The Chief was silent for a few minute as he stood and sized up the creatures before him. He was about to say something when two officers came over, and one held out a notepad with a pen.

"Hi Chief," the woman said with a nervous smile, then she looked at the group of viglantes. "Um hey guys I was wondering if maybe I could get your autographs…for me kids ya know. I hardly ever get to see them…and well they'd go nuts if they found out I was here and didn't get your autographs," she said sheepishly.

A few eyebrows went up, and there were several chuckles, before Brooklyn reached out and took the pen and pad and began signing. "You have kids?" he asked amazed.

"Yeah…two of 'em. My boy's name is Charlie and my daughter is Emily."

"And ye risked your life down here tonight?" Hudson asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, well, we've seen what those guns can do first hand too ya know. So I figured that if I didn't try and make a difference here and now….then what good would I be tomorrow night if these things got distributed," she told them honestly as she glanced a little anxiously at the Chief who was watching her closely.

"Officer, were you aware that this bust wasn't officially sanctioned?"

Faith cleared her throat and her younger partner stepped up as if to protect her. But she waved him back. "It's okay Bosco," she said pulling herself straight as she looked her superior in the eye. "Not at first sir. But I was appraised of that fact before the fighting began, and yeah, I did have second thoughts. But I took an oath sir. An oath to serve and protect this city….with my life if it was necessary. I have a hard enough time keeping my kids safe from all the other lunatics out there, and every day some nutjob comes up with a new way to kill people or break the law. These guns in the hands of those lunatics would have killed hundreds maybe even thousands. I was scared as hell tonight, but I wasn't about to let my babies grow up in the middle of some war zone sir."

Bosco smirked slightly, a proud look on his face as he watched his partner stand up to the Chief and defend her actions. Chavez and Lou were also hovering in the background, a silent look of approval in their eyes, and the rest of the group just stared in admiration and respect at the brave mother of two.

The silence stretched for long seconds and then the Chief just shook his head and snorted. "Great now I'm gonna have a bunch of cops with damn hero complexes. Don't think that because I let this slide I'm gonna let any of you get away with tossing the rule book out every time," he warned sternly.

"Yes sir," Yokus answered, a lopsided grin beginning to turn her lips up.

"All right, all right, everyone get out of here before the press shows up. Chavez, I want you and every other officer involved in this thing in my office nine a.m. tomorrow morning. No one is to talk to anyone until you talk to me is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. As for your little crew or clan or whatever the hell you call yourselves, I want to see you there as well."

"Sorry Chief, but we're stone during the day." The Chief stared at Brooklyn. "It's how we sleep," Brooklyn explained with a shrug.

"Fine, fine, then make it nine p.m.. I still want you in my office for a meeting. If your people want to serve and protect this city then your gonna do it the right way- even if it means I have to change a few rules around here. Now all of you get out of here and go home to your families or whatever."

"Yes sir," Nightwing grinned as he turned to the Clan, after handing Officer Yokus her notebook back. "I hate to run, but I need to get back to New Gotham."

"Aye lad, call us when ye get back tae tell us how everyone there has fared," Hudson said as he clasped forearms with the younger man.

"I hope everything went okay with Canmore. Tell Elisa we are forever in her debt."

"We will. Have a safe journey back home."

Nightwing turned to Flash. "You headin' back tonight?"

"Yeah, I have a date to keep or I'm in big trouble. I have to refuel and grab a nap if I'm going to stay awake enough to keep up a decent conversation."

Nightwing chuckled. "Alright then buddy, thanks for coming down."

"Just like old times. Call me if anything serious comes up….you know I'm always here for ya."

"I will." Nightwing turned to Robin and nodded. "You ready?"

"I've got the 'cycle parked a couple of blocks away." With a final farewell to the group, the three super-heroes took off.

"We'll meet you back home in a little while," Matt told Brooklyn quietly. "Call us if something comes up though."

"Got it." Turning to the few officers that had helped them Nightwing gave them his most winning smile. "Nice work tonight ladies and gentleman. I look forward to meeting all of you again under better circumstances. Have a good night."

Just Outside Manhattan

3:50 am

"Come on, come on…someone pick up," Dick grit out as he tried the Manor for the third time. It was a good thing he had decided to let Tim drive back, because the voice that finally came over the line would have caused him to wreck.

"Dick." It wasn't a question. Of course it wouldn't be with him. He knew everything.

"Bruce?" he gasped.

There was a long pause. "Did you stop the Wild Cards?"

Of course. The mission always came first. "Yeah….Elisa was taking care of Canmore, but I don't know how things went over there. Tim and I are on our way back home now."

"You have Tim with you?"

Dick almost smirked. Almost. "Yeah…we'll talk about that later. Have you heard from Babs?"

"She's here, along with Helena, Dinah and Detective Reese."

"Is she okay?" he asked hearing the careful control in his adoptive father's voice even over the comm line.

"They all sustained injuries, but Leslie is looking after them now. We'll see you in a couple of hours."

And then line went dead. Tim was looking over at him where he sat in the sidecar staring at his dead comm, a puzzled look on his face.

"Well?" he shouted over the noise of the motorcycle and wind.

"You'd never believe me," Dick answered back. "Just get us home."

Pier 15

Castle Wyvern

3:50 a.m.

Demona landed on in the courtyard, and glanced down at her unconscious passenger wondering if the human would even survive the injuries she had suffered at the hands of the Hunter. Xanatos set down beside her, and silently walked past her to enter the castle bearing Goliath's lifeless body in his arms. Demona cleared her throat puposfully and Xanatos looked back at her.

Nodding to Goliath's body she swallowed. "Perhaps we should find something to cover him. If we come across your son…" she said quietly. Xanatos blinked and she scowled. "I'm not as completely heartless as you all think me to be," she growled out.

Xanatos started to smile a tiny bit, but sadness quickly chased it away as Xanatos looked back towards the door. "They already know. Fox is making sure he's kept away from the infirmary."

Demona took it that he had called ahead to warn them of their arrival, and followed the billionaire inside and down through the stone corridors to where a medical team was waiting to receive Elisa. After handing the detective over to the doctors, Demona withdrew into a corner, next to the table where Goliath's body had been laid and covered.

As soon as she sat on the stool next to his body, the battle rush fled her body, leaving the immortal feeling as old as she was. It had been a long time since Demona had had experienced shock, but as tiny shivers began to set into her numb body, she was forced to accept that this night was one of her worst…and it was far from over.

She watched with an almost vacant expression as the doctors swarmed around Elisa, trying to save her, and realized that the human would be no help in breaking the news to the Clan- to Angela. "Xanatos."

"Yes?"

"The Clan….where are they?"

"Fox just informed me they are on their way back, they should be landing in a couple of minutes."

Clearing her throat, the proud warrior forced herself to shake off her body's betraying emotions and stood up. "I should be the one to tell them."

Xanatos nodded in agreement as he looked over to where Elisa lay. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here tonight Demona. Angela is going to need you now more than ever. There's nothing more we can do here, it's all in the doctor's hands now."

"And the detective's," Demona added, glancing back at the human that had been the focus of her anger and hatred for several years now. Elisa knew she was immortal. Why she had stood in the Hunter's line of fire and taken the bullets meant for her, Demona was still having a hard time processing that. Or the fact that the two had actually held each other's hand for long moments after Goliath had passed. As she turned to head back up to the courtyard, the indigo gargoyle shook her head and wondered for the first time in her own life if she really was loosing it.

Pier 15

Manhattan

3:55 am

An exhausted looking Tony Dracon looked up at the crimson gargoyle that landed next to where he stood. "Took you long enough to get here," he muttered, trying to suppress the bitterness in his voice.

"Yeah well you aren't exactly where you said you were gonna be," Brooklyn retorted crossing his arms.

"Yeah well the party is over here, so you can all go home now and I'll finish things up here."

"Gee don't be all sweet and mushy about it," Brooklyn said sarcastically.

Dracon sighed, yelled a few more commands to his crew and then turned to Goliath's Lieutenant. "Listen Brooklyn, it's been a long, bad night. I'm not gonna stand here and pick fights with you tonight ok? Just…go home."

Brooklyn paused, studying the mob boss's face and found something very disturbing there. "Where are Goliath and Elisa?" he asked quietly.

Despite his best efforts, Tony couldn't hide the quick flash of pain and sadness. Stepping close to Brooklyn, Dracon rested his hand on the gargoyle's shoulder, grateful that the rest of the Clan was hiding somewhere up on the rooftops out of earshot. "Things went down badly here Brooklyn. But no matter what happens now, Canmore was stopped and the guns are off the streets. At least we did what we came here to do. Now go get the rest of your Clan and get back to the Castle," Dracon told him quietly before stepping back and walking away his head bowed and his shoulders slumped.

Brooklyn was frozen in place as fear began to tightening his chest. A sick feeling began to form in his gut, and he forced himself to look slowly around the pier taking the carnage and devastation in for the first time. This battle had been far more brutal and considerably deadlier than the one they had fought down at the train yards. The body count was startling even for a seasoned warrior, and the scent of blood was everywhere….human and gargoyle.

Turning suddenly, Brooklyn leapt onto a truck, and launched himself into the air. He saw the rest of the Clan look at each other in confusion at his abrupt take-off, be his curtly gestured for them to follow, as he angled his wings for maximum speed back to the castle.

Castle Courtyard

Manhattan

4:10 am

Demona watched as Brooklyn practically skidded to a halt as he set down in a hurried landing, and drew himself up to stare at her warily. She said nothing, but realized he already had an idea of what was coming. The rest of the Clan landed several seconds after him, puzzled looks on their faces as they glanced between Demona, Brooklyn and Xanatos.

"What happened back there Brook?" Broadway asked.

"Mother?" Angela asked warily, as she took in her mother's bloodstained clothing.

There was a long silence, and then Brooklyn finally asked his unanswered question to the only one he knew would answer him. "Where are Goliath and Elisa?"

Demona cleared her suddenly dry throat. "Elisa received serious injuries. The doctors are performing surgery on her to try and save her life."

"Is father with her then?"

Demona locked eyes with Brooklyn, seeing that the younger male had gone completely still, as if bracing himself for her next words. He knew Goliath was dead. If it had just been Elisa that had been injured, Xanatos would have told them himself. But the man had remained grimly silent the entire time. Behind him, Hudson stiffened, and Demona found herself unable to meet the elder's gaze. Finally she looked at her daughter, and forced herself to speak the next words.

"I'm sorry Angela, but your father was killed in the battle tonight," she told the young woman in a strangled voice that sounded nothing like her own.

Shocked silence settled over the small group, and Broadway reached out to steady his mate as she swayed. "Wh- what?" she whispered in disbelief.

"A crane collapsed during the fight, and he was buried under the debris," Demona forced herself to explain shortly. "We dug him out, but it was too late…..his injuries were too severe."

"No," Angela whispered, as she stared numbly at her mother.

Tears welled in Demona's own eyes, and she silently cursed herself for being weak in front of the Clan. But as she watched her only daughter sink to her knees in grief, as she knelt next to her and held the girl's shaking body to hers, as she listened to her sobs of pain and loss, Demona felt a small piece of her own heart break.

Or perhaps it was the first piece of stone to break off of her heart.

Wayne Manor

New Gotham

6:00 a.m.

Jesse Reese woke with a start as his cell phone broke through the disturbing dreams he had been having. Almost gratefully he pulled it out of his pocket and answered it, vaguely aware that Barbara and Helena had both been awakened by the noise.

"Reese," he croaked out.

"Sorry ta wake ye lad."

"Hudson! No it's okay, I had to get up soon anyway. We've been waiting to hear from you guys," he told the older gargoyle as he squinted at the clock. He could sense both women listening intently to the conversation now.

"Aye lad, I'm sorry I did nae call ye earlier. How did things go on yuir end?"

"We stopped them," Reese answered in a frustrated sigh. "But we lost several metas, and the girls are pretty roughed up. Dinah's been in a coma after she went on overload knocking everyone out cold with her gift."

"I'm sorry ta hear that lad," Hudson sighed, but Reese could hear a heaviness behind that sigh.

"What happened Hudson?" he asked quietly.

"We won our battle as well. But…" there was a long pause and then a throat clearing. "Elisa's still in surgery, and the doctors aren't sure if she'll live. The lass received some devastating injuries, and they're afraid she may loose her will ta fight now that…."

Reese swallowed hard as he heard the gargoyle struggle to say the next words. "Now that Goliath is dead."

In the darkness, he heard Helena's sharp intake of air and Barbara's softly spoken question. "Goliath was killed?" Reese asked dejectedly, silently echoing Barbara's gasp of dismay.

"Aye. I…we're about to sleep for the day and I just thought ye should know."

"God Hudson, I'm so sorry. Is there anything we can do?"

"Elisa's parents are on their way in, her brother is here right now, and ye have yuir own troubles to worry about lad. But thank you for the concern."

"Hudson, please keep us updated. We'd like to know what happens…one way or another."

"We will lad. I'll call ye tonight after we find out her status."

"Thanks Hudson…and please give Elisa's family and the rest of the Clan our sympathies."

"Thank ye Detective."

The line went dead and Reese stared at his phone in the dark for several stunned minutes. Goliath was dead and Elisa was barely clinging to life. Jesus, this whole situation just sucked.

"Jesse?" Helena finally asked in the darkness

"We'll know more tonight when the Clan wakes up. He said that they won the fight, but Elisa was hurt badly. She's in surgery and the doctors don't know if she'll make it. I don't know anything more than Goliath was killed in the fight. Hudson was pretty broken up, I didn't want to ask any more questions," he said quietly.

Silence settle over the room for several long minutes. "Before this all went down, Elisa and I swore to each other that we would see this thing through to the end…no matter what the cost. Too much…too many lives were at stake. Did you know that the whole area had been rigged with explosives?" he asked flatly.

"The tunnels that you blew up right?" Helena answered hesitantly.

Reese shook his head in the darkness, staring at nothing. "No. The whole area. We rigged the warehouses first, then the docks and yards, and finally the tunnels. If we lost control of the fight, one of us was going to see to it that the whole damn area was turned into a crater before Quinn got away."

"Dear God Reese," Barbara whispered, realizing for the first time, just how far the two officers had been willing to go to ensure the safety of countless others.

"Dracon was going to see to it that his right hand man did the same thing in Manhattan, but none of us had expected the second shipment. Elisa knew she had to get on that boat, but when we parted, it was like she was saying goodbye for the last time. She never expected to survive tonight," he told them in a shaky whisper.

"But she did, and now the one thing she was trying the most to protect, is gone," Helena added mournfully. Neither Reese or Barbara needed her vision to know that a haunted look was filling her eyes as she remembered her own painful past.

"The saddest thing about this, is people will never know the whole truth. They'll never know about the real sacrifices that were made tonight. In a few weeks, everything will return to normal and people will have forgotten what happened," Reese remarked bitterly.

In the darkness, Barbara and Helena let out rueful snorts in unison. "Welcome to our world Reese," Barbara told him tiredly.

The injured crime-fighter licked her lower lip, having accidentally split the healing tissue when she spoke. "On nights like this, even we wonder if it was really worth the risk and the pain."

"How do you cope with it?"

Helena smirked wryly. "Obviously we don't always do such a good job with it," she responded, hinting at the past year's fallout. "Sometimes it takes a friend to slap you out of your funk," the brunette said the smile on her face evident in her tone. "Other times, all it takes is going up to the rooftop and looking out over the city…your city. It's still there, blissfully ignorant, because you're the one who makes the difference. You're the one who protects it night after night so that all those forgetful people can sleep easier at night."

Reese was quiet for a minute as he pondered that. "We live in the shadows so that the rest of the world can have more light."

Barbara's lips turned upwards slightly, despite the discomfort, and nodded. "Something like that," she agreed.

Helena's head suddenly lifted. "Dick's back….and there's some one with him," she announced as her sensitive hearing picked up the approaching footsteps.

Sewer Tunnels Beneath the Train Yards

Manhattan

6:00 am

Claw signaled to Glasses that the explosive had been safely disarmed and the darker man nodded in approval. The silent mutate gestured to the ceiling, asking if there were any more.

"That was the last device. Thank you for assisting us in their removal."

The mutate gave the man a look that caused Glasses lips to turn up slightly. Once Claw spotted the first device hidden in a ventilation tube just before they surface, Glasses had made it quite clear that he wasn't to warn the others about the bombs.

"I apologize for being so…adamant about you not telling anyone else about these earlier," Dracon's Lieutenant said sincerely. "But they were a last resort measure that Mr. Dracon and Detective Maza felt necessary. Both agreed that none of the others here would have willingly allowed such an extreme measure to be set in place."

Claw was a bit surprised to hear that Elisa had been one of the people to insist on their placement, but even before Glasses explanation he had to agree with the logic of having the bombs there as a last resort. Looking down at his watch, Claw sighed and jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of where he lived and then mimicked being chewed out by Talon.

"I'm surprised he hasn't come hunting for you already, given my corrupting influence," Glasses chuckled quietly. He held out a meaty hand, and gripped the mutate's clawed hand fearlessly. "It was a pleasure doing business with you Claw. I'm sure we'll being running into each other again in the future."

The tiger mutate held up one finger, and cut the air with the other signaling that once was enough…even if it wasn't all that bad. The shaking of his shoulders in silent laughter, gave away the sincerity of his gesture, and Glasses chuckled before gesturing down the tunnel. "Get out of here before Talon shows up with a posse, and decides the truce is over."

Claw waved farewell and then disappeared down the dark tunnel.

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

6:15 am

Brooklyn back as Hudson lumbered up the stairs to the top parapet where he stood. Goliath's tower. Brooklyn looked back out over the city, which was now eerily silent, and cleared his throat. "You contacted our allies in New Gotham?"

"Aye. They fared about as equally as us it would seem. Several of those who volunteered were killed, and the three lasses were all injured. Reese says young Dinah is in a coma."

Brooklyn sighed heavily and closed his eyes as he ran a talon through his white mane. "What am I gonna do now Hudson? The Clan has lost it's leader, Angela's lost her father and quite possibly her best friend now."

"Don't give up on Elisa lad. She's been through worse and pulled through."

"Yeah, but she had a reason to fight," Brooklyn said quietly. "I may have been Second Hudson, but Elisa was as much my equal if not more."

"Aye the lass has helped up to find our place in this world, and has guided even your father through much since we woke," Hudson acknowledged.

"It's hard enough to loose our Leader, but if Elisa dies too….." Brooklyn swallowed against the lump of fear that rose in his throat at that thought.

Hudson rested a reassuring hand on Brooklyn's shoulder. "Brooklyn, there's nothing ye can gain from worrying about such matters until they come ta pass. Right now, Elisa's alive and in the care o' the best doctors in the world. Goliath chose ye fer a reason lad, and tonight ye have proved that your more than ready ta lead us. We'll get through this like we have any other trial….as a Clan."

Brooklyn was quiet for a little while longer before looking over at the elder. "I spoke with Demona a little while ago," he began quietly. Hudson quirked an aged eyebrow. It was no secret that Demona and Brooklyn held a special animosity for each other. The fact that Brooklyn hadn't kicked her off the castle wall the moment he had seen her, spoke a great deal of how much he had matured in the last couple of years.

"I told her she was welcome to stay for as long as Angela needed her…I even volunteered to speak to Xanatos about giving her a room," Brooklyn told the older gargoyle hesitantly.

Both eyebrows were now raised now, and Hudson actually smiled at the younger male. "That was very thoughtful of ye lad…and very noble of ye as well."

"I still loathe her for what she tried to do to me…did to me….but…." the crimson gargoyle sighed. "I'm tired of fighting….tired of hating. Goliath knew she was sneaking off to see her mother at least twice a week, and I asked him why he didn't stop her. He told me it was because he knew it was the one joy Demona had in her life right now, and he couldn't take that away from her. I thought about what he said that night, and realized that if I really put myself in Demona's position, I don't think I would have fared any better. Angela's been a good influence on her, and that's been apparent to all of us. But now with his death….I made the offer for both of them," Brooklyn explained.

Hudson nodded in understanding. "Ye hope to keep her close to the Clan and keep an eye on her. A wise choice indeed lad," Hudson complimented.

"Don't know what good it will do, but…she just felt different tonight. It was like all the hostility had fled, and she seemed uncertain of what to do."

"I noticed that myself. Only the coming days will tell us just how Goliath's passing will affect her."

Brooklyn gave the slightly lightening horizon a final glance and then turned away from the city. 'I want to check on Elisa's progress before dawn."

Hudson nodded and the two made their way down into the depths of the castle. As they approached the infirmary, they heard raised voices, and rushed towards the growing argument when they realized who the voices belonged to.

"If you knew where my sister was why didn't you get over there quicker!" Derek Maza aka Talon was yelling at Xanatos.

"Your sister was supposed to be at another location remember! I was on my way to where she was supposed to be when I had to change course when I realized the gunfire was coming from another location!"

Brooklyn paused for a minute, realizing he had never seen the billionaire lose his calm before. Not once. But right now, the dark haired man was toe to toe with the panther mutate, yelling as loudly as he as being yelled at, his face an unnatural color of red.

"Leave my daddy alone, he didn't know anything!" a child's voice screamed, and Brooklyn moved to intercept the boy as he ran to his father's defense.

Brooklyn noticed Alex's eyes were red and swollen from crying, his small chest still jumping from grief induced hiccups. What concerned the gargoyle the most was the green glow beginning to eminate around the toddler. That was never a good sign.

"Shhhh….easy Alex. It's ok," Brooklyn soothed, wrapping his arms around the child as he squirmed in his grip for a moment.

" 'Liath's dead," the boy sniffled. "It wasn't our fault," he whispered, his large eyes blinking slowly as tears began to spill.

"No Alex, it isn't anyone's fault," Brooklyn said quietly, though his stern look caused Derek to back down. Fox came in, her own normally beautiful features haggard by exhaustion and grief as well. The gargoyle hugged the child one last time, before passing him over to his mother who left the room wordlessly.

As soon as they were out of range, Brooklyn fixed Talon with a cold glare. "your sister is laying on the other side of that door being worked on by the best doctors in the world and you pick a fight with the man that is helping to save her life?"

Talon folded his arms and glared right back. "Oh I get it. Just because he throws his money around for some good every now and them I'm just supposed to forgive him for what he did to us?"

Xanatos let out an exasperated sigh. "Look Derek, I told you and Elisa I don't know how many times that I regret what I did and that if I could reverse your change I would. I made some bad choices getting where I am today, but that doesn't mean I'm still that same man. If I was, I wouldn't have even bothered to check on the others once things were taken care of here."

"Derek, none of us expect you two to be buddies here. But this is his home and those are his doctors- you will show him respect for at least that much. If that's too much to ask then you can leave," Brooklyn stated firmly as he drew himself up to assert his new authority.

Derek held his gaze for a moment longer before abruptly spinning away and stalked over to a nearby couch with a huffed 'whatever'. Brooklyn let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and then nodded for Xanatos to join him as he headed down the hallway away from the infirmary.

After they were several corridors away, he glanced over at the human, noticing a troubled look on the man's features. "Don't let him get to you. He's just worked up because his sister is hurt."

Xanatos raised an eyebrow at him, and then chuckled quietly. "If you're having any doubts about your new role, don't," the billionaire told him confidently. "I apologize for my behavior, I know it's been a long hard night for everyone and I know that it's not easy for you being thrust into leadership under such circumstances. My actions only made it more difficult back there-"

Brooklyn waved him quiet. "Don't worry about it. Besides, now I know it is possible to ruffle your feathers," Brooklyn told him with a smirk before he sobered. "How is she?"

Xanatos stared straight ahead again and shrugged. "Pretty bad. I showed up too late to do anything more than stop her from killing Canmore while he was unarmed. Over the course of the night she's been cut, stabbed, shot and beaten. The doctor came out just a short while ago and said that she has so many internal injuries it's a wonder she didn't bleed to death before we got her here. As it is, she'll most likely lose sight in her left eye, and will be laid up for several months recovering."

Hudson snorted from where he was limping behind the two. "Why do I doubt that?"

Brooklyn and Xanatos smiled briefly, knowing Elisa's tenacity and her unwillingness to stay bedridden for long. "You may not have been able to save Goliath tonight, but you saved Elisa…in the best way possible."

"It wasn't just me," Xanatos admitted, a puzzled look lowering his brows. "Demona was there too. I was closer to Canmore, so I knocked him down as she tried to fire. Demona was the one who actually moved to stop Elisa." The billionaire paused and looked at the two gargoyles. "Something big happened down there tonight, and I can only hope that it was for the best. I say this because I know how much you two don't get along-."

Brooklyn raised his hand cutting the man off. "I noticed it too. That's what I wanted to talk to you about actually. I have offered for Demona to stay for as long as Angela needs her. I was also wondering if you could see to it that one of the guest suites was made ready for her."

Xanatos blinked, clearing surprised by the gargoyle's request. "Of course," he finally answered, slipping into his business mode once more. "I'll have Owen see to it right away. You of course realize that I must limit her access to the Castle however. I can't have the CEO of my biggest competetor just running around my offices downstairs."

Brooklyn managed a small grin. "I'm sure Ms. Destiny would understand that single request."

"Well it's nearly sunrise, and I should see to my family before I go back to meet Mr. And Mrs. Maza."

"Please give them our regards," Brooklyn said as he nodded goodnight to the human.


	26. Aftermath

A/N: Sorry this post took so long! Been a lot busier in the real world lately, but hopefulyl I'll have a little more free time in the coming days and weeks. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and without further ado…here we go.

O/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o

Batcave

New Gotham

7:00 am

"And for all of our viewers who are just joining us, today's top story has been unfolding since early this morning when NGPD made one of the largest weapon's raid in history. We are going to first take you live to the shipping yards of New Gotham where it all began."

"Thank you Tom. What you see behind me is what can only be described as a battle field ladies and gentlemen. The police and federal authorities have been extremely tight-lipped about the details of what happened here only hours ago, but it is apparent to anyone that the aftermath of the war that was waged here in the early morning hours, was devastating. Police Chief Larry Kincaid spoke with the press about half an hour ago and hear is what he had to say."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to brief you on what few details we know and can release for the general public's information. Two weeks ago, local police authorities from NYPD received a tip that a large shipment of weapons were going to be sent to Manhattan from contacts here in New Gotham. The weapons to be manufactured and then distributed were the guns that have been named the HQ-1, and have caused the deaths of nearly a hundred people in Manhattan over the past several months. Police representatives from NYPD contacted our own local authorities and began an intense undercover operation to uncover the specifics of the plan. Through well coordinated efforts of several local agencies and resources, the guns never reached their destination, and disaster was averted both here and in Manhattan."

The Chief finished his little speech, and the gathered reporters immediately began shouting questions.

"Chief what about all the bodies being brought out? Eyewitness reports say it's a battle zone in there."

The chief's eyes darkened. "The people who were manufacturing the weapons here were being led by a highly trained mercenary soldier. This individual had created an army in a matter of months and they were well armed. It was a war zone in there and I can't deny that too many lives were lost trying to stop this."

"What about the reports that the police held back while private parties fought for the police?"

"There was a police force present within the shipping yards. One of our own detectives was a part of the entire undercover operation from start to finish."

"What about the vigilantes? Rumor has it that Batman was even spotted."

"I cannot make any comment on that at this time since nothing can either be confirmed or denied at this point."

"What about the attack on the Clocktower? We understand that Harley Quinn somehow broke out of Arkham and launched an assault on the Clocktower."

"We have detectives over there right now gathering more details, so I cannot speculate at this time on what happened there for sure."

"What about Manhattan, Chief? We've been hearing reports that there were two major fights being waged over there."

"I have only been briefly in touch with the Chief of Police in Manhattan, but as you can imagine we are both busy enough with what is going on in our own city's right now. I will be meeting with him later this week after we have both had time to compile all the facts. Now if you will excuse me, I have to get back to the scene inside. I'll hold another conference later today once we have more facts."

A hand reached out and stabbed a button on the screen sending the large room into dark silence once more. After several moments that same hand reached over to pick up a phone and dial a familiar phone number. After a few rings a tired voice answered the phone.

"Gordon."

"I need a favor old friend."

There was a startled pause. "Batman you know I would be happy to do anything for you but I need to check on my daughter first-"

"Barbara's ok, she's resting back at Wayne Manor right now with the others. But I need for you to have a word with the Commissioner about what information is given to the press. I've…been away too long to have any influence."

"I'm already here with him. He still doesn't have all the facts yet, and I'm not going to volunteer everything right now either because this place is a circus. Don't worry Batman, I'll handle things on my end like you did yours. I have to go now, I'm sure I'll be seeing you later."

The cave once more lapsed into silence as the aging hero rested the phone back in its charger, and sat back in the plush leather chair with a tired sigh. Piercing blue eyes glittered in the darkness, as the man that had once been a legend fought to come to grips with the reality he had immersed himself back into.

"It must be difficult," a familiar voice said quietly from off to one side.

Bruce Wayne turned his head to see the elderly doctor collapsing in a nearby chair, exhaustion weighing her normally straight shoulders down. "I thought you were going to get some rest," Bruce said sternly.

Leslie chuckled. "I've patched you up too many times for The Tone to work on me Bruce. And I tossed in bed for an hour before I decided to come down here. I figured Alfred still had the spare cots laying around here somewhere, and I'll probably sleep better knowing I'm next to Dinah in case something happens."

"It would seem The Tone doesn't work on anyone these days," Bruce muttered, looking away into the darkness.

Leslie raised an eyebrow. "Well you have been away for awhile Bruce. Besides, these people know you as well as I do. As for Helena…well she's your daughter," the old doctor chuckled. "It irked her to no end that The Glare and The Tone didn't work on me the few times I've had to treat her. Now the growling I have to admit got to me a little, but you ruined the rest for her."

The dark clad man was quiet for awhile as he lost himself in his thoughts. "What is she like Leslie?" he asked finally.

Leslie sat back into the comfortable chair and chuckled as she closed her eyes. "She's an amazing young woman Bruce. I've never met someone so alive in my life. She inherited the best of you both, and Barbara did an amazing job teaching her how to harness the gifts she has. Helena is light and dark, power and tenderness, daring and shy, all rolled into one incredible human being. You missed a lot by leaving, but I think I more than any one else can understand why," she told him gently- sympathetically.

Bruce allowed himself a small sigh in front of this single trusted companion. "Even Alfred resents my departure. I don't blame him one bit either. He was there for me after my parents were killed- he has been like a father to me. But when things started happening all over again…..I…I couldn't face her…either of them, knowing I had failed them so badly," he admitted quietly.

"I almost didn't return tonight, but I couldn't let myself fail them again. They all hate me, and I can't blame them."

Leslie smiled sadly. "They don't hate you dear, they're just angry and confused and right now they're afraid. Too much has happened this night to let their reactions be the judge of anything Bruce. Give them a few days to settle in and you'll see that things will work out."

Bruce frowned. "Why do I feel like it will happen in a very physical way?"

Leslie chuckled. "Because it's the only way you and your daughter know how to communicate?" she teased gently. "I seem to recall you and Selina used to settle your arguments in a similar fashion."

A tiny sad smile turned the Dark Knight's lips upwards a fraction. "And she knew every button to push."

"Helena's a very good button finder according to Barbara."

Another sigh. "I think I might have to retain your services full time then."

Leslie laughed and then stood. "If you plan on sticking around this time Bruce then I think that might be a very wise decision. Now help an old woman find a cot to sleep on in this place."

O/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/ooo/oooo/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o

The Isle of Avalon

Lady Titania stared at her mirror sadly, even long after the violent scenes finished unfolding. "Something vexes you My Queen?" her husband asked as he came up to stand behind her, glancing at the blank mirror.

"There was trouble in man's world."

"There is always trouble in their realm," Oberon, king of the Third Race said dismissively.

"Our grandson and his guardians were involved this time My Lord," she informed him.

There was a pause as that caught his attention. "I assume the rebellious trickster lived up to his task of protecting the boy?"

"No harm came to Alexander….at least not physically," she added quietly as she turned away from the mirror.

"I do not understand my wife. If the boy suffered no harm, then why the sad expression? Why the concern for the child's well-being?"

"Mighty Goliath, Leader of Clan Wyvern has fallen in battle tonight. The mirror was unclear, but his death will effect many…including our grandson. The boy had grown rather fond of the brave warrior."

"Goliath was just a guard to the child's home. Surely a beast's death cannot have that much impact on man's world to make the future unclear," Lord Oberon scoffed.

Titania's eyes grew hard, and she bristled visibly enough for her husband to back off a step. "They are not beasts My Lord," she told him coldly. "Do not forget that Goliath himself bested you in battle husband. Goliath and his Clan treated Alexander as if he were one of their own hatchlings, despite his association with a family they did not trust. But my concern is for more than that, the child foresaw what was going to happen."

That caught Oberon off-guard. "The Puck has obviously made remarkable progress with the boy. Alexander knew he was about to lose a close friend and yet he is advanced enough in his training to know that he could say nothing of what was to happen."

"Indeed," Oberon murmured. "I had no idea he was that far along in his powers to be seeing the future clearly enough to know specific details."

"The child grows stronger every day, the Puck has started to rely on Alexander for strength in certain exercises. Perhaps it is time to reconsider his punishment. If he is to continue to effectively train our grandson, he will not be able to do so with the limited powers you left him after his banishment."

Oberon frowned at his wife. This was not the first time she had broached the subject with him, and he knew it was mainly because she had a special affinity for the trickster. Which was all the more reason he had been so harsh in his dealings with Puck. Still, she had made a very valid point this time, and he could no longer deny the fact that the boy's powers were growing stronger than even he had anticipated.

"I will consider it," he answered finally. "But for now, I believe one of our servants is beckoning."

Titania nodded. "Anubis."

With that word the powerful Fae appeared in the room, and bowed low to the two rulers. "My Lady, you asked to be notified when it came time to escort the soul of the gargoyle known as Goliath to the Otherworld."

"I wish to speak with him one last time Anubis," Titania told him.

The jackel-headed creature nodded and then stretched out the hand that carried a staff. A familiar figure wavered into view, and the startled gargoyle blinked as he took in his surroundings and his current company. "Wha- how have I come to be here? Is this another of your tricks?" he asked them growing angry.

Titania looked sadly at the near transparent soul before her. "I'm afraid it is not this time brave warrior. Do you recall your last moments before you came here?" she asked gently.

There was a pause as the Goliath-soul tried to think. "The battle….Elisa was injured and she was going to have Dracon shoot her and the Hunter with the weapon. I stopped him…the crane collapsed…and then pain and finally darkness." Goliath paused and he looked up suddenly.

"Am I dead?"

"You told Elisa it wasn't her time, and you were right. She still has many sands left in her glass. But yours ran out this night."

"Elisa," the gargoyle whispered remembering the condition he left his love in. "What will become of her…of my Clan?" he asked desperately.

"Lady Titania has the ability to forsee the future with her mirror, but it would seem that there is much uncertainty surrounding their future right now," Oberon answered.

"I do not understand."

"Goliath, we are all controlled by Fate and Destiny to an extent. But we still make different choices that lead up to that eventuality. What will become of Elisa, of the Clan, of all whose lives you have touched, are uncertain right now. There are too many possible outcomes for the future to be clear, but most of it stems from the choices Elisa will make at this point. The aftermath of your noble fight however has done much damage to her spirit. She has a long hard journey before her, and she may have lost the will to travel it."

"Can-can I see her?"

"Only one can grant such a request, and neither of us have the power or authority to do so."

"Then….who?" he asked puzzled.

"The Maker of all. The Creator of all three races and everything that we call home," Titania answered with an amused smile as Goliath looked at her in disbelief. "Yes we think of ourselves as gods, and humans called a number of us as such. But really, we are just keepers of this world as much as you and the humans are. We just watch it from a different realm," she explained matter-of-factly.

"It is time for you to make your journey brave warrior. Anubis shall escort you from the edges of our realm to the final plane of existence. You have your faults Goliath, but you were one of the most noble beings I ever met. I have little doubt the Creator will grant your request, but it shall only be once. Choose the right moment wisely warrior."

Goliath realized he had no choice but to leave and bowed respectfully to the two rulers one last time. "I make only one request of you Lord and Lady. I know you cannot directly interfere with their lives, but perhaps you could watch over and guide my Clan from time to time- both at home and here on Avalon as well."

"We will do what we can Goliath. Now go and rest your soul."

Goliath nodded and with one final sad glance towards Titania's mirror, he turned to Anubis who waved his staff once more and caused them both to disappear.

O/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/ooo

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

11:30 am

An exhausted looking surgeon exited the doors to the infirmary and blinked at the large group that had gathered over the course of the morning. Everyone stood anxiously, and four of the group moved forward, distraught looks on their faces. "Are you Elisa's family?" he asked quietly.

The three humans and one mutate nodded, and he gestured for them follow him back to the infirmary. "If you'll please follow me."

They hesitated, alarmed looks passing between them. "Elisa survived the surgery, but she is far from being out of danger. I'll take you to see her now and explain more in private," he added quickly, seeing Elisa's mother beginning to turn an unhealthy pale.

There was a collective sigh of relief from all those gathered, and everyone sat back down as the Maza's followed him back into the infirmary where Elisa now lay, recovering from her extensive surgery. There was a startled gasp from Elisa's sister, but it appeared that her parents and brother had been prepared for what would most likely greet their eyes. It wasn't pretty by any standards.

"I'm Doctor Majors, and I headed the team that worked on Elisa this morning. Elisa received extensive damage to her body, and we were faced with a lot of critical injuries to deal with at once. It's no small miracle that she survived the damage done to her body. If she makes it through the next twenty four hours, then we all agree that she'll pull through this whole ordeal."

"What…what happened to her?" Diane Maza asked, looking at the bandage-clad figure of her daughter, laying deathly still on the gurney.

"She was shot in the leg, and the bullet nicked the femur, fracturing a chunk off of it. A millimeter to the right and it would have shattered the whole bone. She was shot several other time throughout the course of the night, and although she was wearing some kind of body armor, the bruising and internal injuries suggest she took most of them at point blank range. We had to stop bleeding in several organs, and there was a tear in her liver from one impact. The least of her injuries was a small knife wound that appears to have been sealed earlier by surgical glue but re-opened. We sewed that back shut.

"The worst of her injuries were cranial however and those are the ones that have left us most in the dark," he sighed. They looked at him in despair, and he looked back at the still form sadly. "Elisa received a brutal blow to the left side of her face that shattered her facial bones. It took the country's top plastic surgeon five hours just to piece her facial structure back together. He's the most skilled surgeon I've ever worked with though and the good news is she should have minimal scarring."

"The bad news?" Talon growled.

"The bone fragments severed the corneal nerve and caused irreperable damage to the eye itself. She'll will be blind out of her right eye, and there is some cause for concern about possible hearing impairment in that ear as well."

There was shocked silence as that sunk in, and Peter Maza finally cleared her throat. "When will she wake up?"

"She's in a light coma right now, but that's to be expected given her condition. The trauma to her head has caused her brain to swell, so we are taking measures to keep the pressure from compressing the brain tissue and causing further damage. Once the swelling begins to go down, she should come out of the coma. Hopefully that will be within the next twenty four to forty eight hours."

"Can we stay with her?" Diane asked.

The doctor nodded. "For a little while. But she needs her rest right now and too much stimulation this early can interrupt her body from it's own healing cycle. I've seen to it that immediate family only is allowed access for a couple of hours each day over the next two days. After that she should hopefully be awake, and strong enough to have visitors throughout the day if she wishes it."

"Only a couple of hours?" Peter asked in a pained voice.

"Just for the next couple of days. She's still in critical condition, and not only is her body exhausted, but she's very susceptible to illness right now. The less people we have in here for shorter periods of time, the better. Now I'll leave you to some privacy with her. There is going to be a nurse in the office over there if you should need anything."

"Thank you doctor….thank you for everything that you've done for her."

The kind man smiled at the odd family sympathetically. He knew that he was in for some interesting situations when he had signed on with Xanatos. He hadn't even been close to his wildest imaginations after he had been introduced to the Clan and the Mutates. It wasn't until tonight that he had even known that the Mutate leader Talon was Elisa Maza's younger brother. They had been through so much as a family. He sincerely hoped that they would all be able to pull through this trial as well.

"I'm going to go clean up and check on the results of some tests and scans we ran. I'll be back in about an hour."

"Doctor?"

"Yes Mr. Maza?"

"There…there are a lot of people out there who are waiting to hear how she's doing," he said, emotion causing his voice to crack. The older Maza had known that his daughter had touched a lot of people's lives. It wasn't until a little while ago, when he finally took a good look around the increasingly crowded hallway, that he realized just how many people cared about her.

"Would you like me to explain to them what I just told you?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"It's the least I could do for someone such as your daughter Mr. Maza." With a slight nod of his head and a reassuring smile, he ducked out of the room, leaving the family an hour's peace with Elisa.

Heads snapped up as soon as Majors stepped back out into the hallway, and the air stilled with sudden tension. The doctor looked around, taking in the diversity of the crowd and smiled slightly. Elisa Maza had indeed made a large number of friends and allies. He cleared his throat and spoke loud enough for all to hear.

"Elisa made it through surgery, but she's still in critical condition. The family asked me to relay the situation to all of you, and since I believe some of you are Elisa's superiors, it is probably best that you understand just how severe her injuries were. Her body armor protected her from numerous close-range and point-blank gunshots, but the impact bruising was extensive and frankly some of the worst I've ever seen. She nearly bled out before we could stop the hemorraging.

Her worst injury was sustained from a single blow to the left side of her face. The facial bones were shattered all along this region," he explained as he gestured his hand along the right side of his own face from temple to cheek and down his jaw line.

"Do you know how she sustained the injury?" Captain Chavez asked quietly.

"No one really knows when or how at this point," he answered with a sigh. "But it's the result of a single brutal blow with a solid object. I was informed that she was actually awake for awhile after having sustained the injury, which is astonishing given the severity of the injury," he told the group, still amazed by that fact. He left out that she had to have been in horrible pain for however brief time she had been awake.

"How bad is it doc?" a man he identified as Elisa's partner asked dismally. He could sense the group bracing themselves, for bad news and he unfortunately wasn't going to let them down.

With a sigh, Majors shrugged a bit. "The country's best plastic surgeon did a remarkable job fixing the structural damage, but time will only tell us just how much damage was really done."

"What are you looking at right now? Worst case," Chavez asked, clearly reading through what he wasn't saying.

"We know for sure that she's lost sight in her right eye," he admitted, pausing as those gathered either gasped, or inhaled sharply. "We aren't sure if her hearing will be impaired in that ear as of yet and won't really know more until we do some tests after she has regained consciousness. The scarring will be minimal considering the damage, but how she deals with the trauma she faced this morning and the constant reminder of what transpired," again he shrugged. "Only time will tell."

"Can we see her?" Fox Xanatos asked.

Majors shook his head. "For the next couple of days we are limiting any visitors to immediate family only, and even they will be allowed only a couple of hours each day. Elisa needs rest right now, and we don't want to risk exposing her to infection for the next few days. Once she's out of the critical stage, we'll allow visitors, but her visits will be monitored closely and limited to brief periods of time for the first week or so."

"How long will it be before she recovers Doctor?" Chavez asked into the silence.

"Weeks…maybe even months," he admitted regretfully. "And that is only for the physical injuries," he added quietly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go review the results of some tests we ran earlier. The Maza's wanted me to express their thanks for all of your concern, but I know it's been a long night for most of you and there is nothing more that can be done now but wait. I suggest you head home and get some rest because it's what I'm going to recommend to Elisa's family as soon as I come back."

The small crowd seemed to get the hint and groups of people began to slowly break up. Xanatos gestured to Majors, and despite his overwhelming desire to pretend he didn't see the gesture, the doctor headed towards his employer with a sigh, knowing the billionaire was going to grill him on every detail of Elisa's surgery and alternative solutions to her permanent injuries.

It was going to be a long day.


	27. Busybodies

Just a quick A/N this time. Thanks to everyone who has been posting reviews….especially Midnite ;-), Kelley G. & Eternal Pal. You guys have provided me with much encouragement and brought up some great pointers/ questions. This is brief I know…but I'm already working on the next section so hopefully it'll be up within the week. Enjoy!

Reba

**December 25 (still) **

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**mid-afternoon**

After much pestering, pleading, begging, and then threatening, Owen finally caved to Alex's requests to see Elisa. Transforming himself into Puck, the trickster fixed the toddler with a glare. "I'm only going to give in this one time young man, but I'd think twice before you start making idle threats. Don't forget who's the teacher here. I could easily decide that the next three months should be spent practicing your literary skills and pouring over dusty old books."

Alexander had the good graces to look chagrined, and he scuffed his shoe on the flagstone. "Ok…it's just I wanna make sure she'll be alright Uncle Puck. The dream didn't show she was gonna die too!" he said as tears sprang to his eyes.

Puck gathered the boy up. "Ok, but we can't be seen, so we'll let this be a lesson on practicing our invisibility spell ok?"

"Ok," he sniffled.

"Now take my hand and repeat the spell after me….."

A minute later, student and teacher were hovering a few inches over Elisa's bed, the watchful nurse completely unaware of their presence. Alex gasped and buried his head in Puck's chest. "She's so hurt!"

"I know Alex. But the doctors feel that she will pull through, and I'm certain she will too. Look past the injuries and feel her aura."

The boy raised his hand, wiped his face with a little hand and then focused on the woman's life force. "It's weak," he said sadly after a minute.

"For her it is weak. But touch the aura of that woman over there," the Fae instructed. When the boy's eyes widened in surprise he chuckled. "Elisa's a strong willed woman. Every one in this castle has a strong aura and so you've never really known what a normal human's life force is like. So while Elisa's may be weak compared to her normal self, it is still strong enough to see her through this trial."

The boy nodded, and then he titled his head to one side as Puck sensed him focus on Elisa once more. "Uncle Puck?"

"Yes?"

"Why do I sense Goliath's life force with her?"

"What?" the trickster asked startled by the boy's question. Then he too focused on Elisa with a frown that quickly turned to a chuckle. "That takes a tremendous amount of control to discern Alex. Well done my boy," he praised.

There was silence and Puck looked over to see the boy staring at him expectantly. Oh dear. This was one area of teaching that really wasn't his responsibility.

"Well…you see…when two people love each other…they share special time together. Let's just say that you'll find out about that stuff in a few years when your older, but the result is that the male gives some of his life force to the female."

"Is that how babies are made?" he asked with all the innocence of a child.

"Um, well, yes…"

"Is Elisa gonna have a baby now?" the boy asked suddenly eager.

"Ah well no. It's not really possible for a human to carry a gargoyle child. And given the genes, her child would be mostly gargoyle."

"Would that be dangerous?" he asked in a suddenly fearful whisper.

"Well it could be if Elisa didn't have doctors carefully monitoring her while she was pregnant."

"But she has lots of doctors now so she could be safe."

"Well true, but Alex-."

"Would the baby look like Goliath?"

"Probably. I know where this is going Alex, but we cannot interfere," Puck told the boy with a sigh.

"But she's so sad right now Uncle Puck," the boy told him with fresh tears in his eyes. "Can't you feel it?"

"Yes Alex I can, and while I would like nothing more than to give Elisa this gift, we simply cannot meddle in something that could have the potential to alter the time stream so greatly."

There was suddenly another's presence and both Puck and Alex turned to greet the Queen of Avalon. "Only if it were to affect a time line that has been set. You have been away from Avalon too long Puck, for you forget there are still loopholes," Titania said with a sift chuckle as she floated over to hug her grandson.

"Can we help Elisa have a baby?" Alex asked her hopefully.

Puck crossed his arms, pouting partially, and raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Please enlighten us Queen Titania," he requested with perhaps a bit more snarkiness in his tone than he should have intended.

"Now, now, Puck. Is that anyway to talk to the one who is trying to get your sentence revoked?" she reproved lightly. "It is true Alex that we are not supposed to interfere with a mortal's life once their destiny has been set. I can see such things using my Mirror. However, Elisa's future is uncertain, and it spans more than just her own fate. It would seem all three races can now be drastically affected by the choices she makes once she recovers."

"Even you grandma?" he asked in wonder.

She chuckled and ruffled his crimson locks. "Your grandfather will never admit to it, but yes even those of us on Avalon appear to have a unclear future now. I believe it would be in the best interests of all, to bestow this one gift upon Elisa, for perhaps it will provide her with the focus she will need in her life."

"Can I help?" he asked eagerly.

"Watch and learn my child," she invited as she took his little hands in hers and held them over Elisa's abdomen.

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**December 27**

**Wayne Manor**

**Mid-afternoon**

"Hey sweetheart," James Gordon greeted warmly as he peeked into his daughter's room. She was nestled safely in Dick Grayson's arms, as she had been yesterday when he had come to check on her.

"Hey daddy, come on in," she called over to him, her green eyes lighting up slightly with his presence. At least he could bring her a little joy with his visits during a time like this.

"I see you have your own personal human pillow," he chuckled, his eyes meeting Dick's. Truth be told, he had not been entirely fond of the thought of them as a couple over a decade ago. Of course finding out that his daughter had fallen in love with a minor, and the adoptive son of Gotham's biggest playboy, had added a bit more gray to this hair when he finally found out about them.

Even as their relationship progressed over the years, he had still been wary of the young man. When he hadn't shown up after Barbara's shooting Jim Gordon had been convinced that he had been right all along. That was until his daughter had finally confided in him with her deepest secrets. It had been in a rare, weak moment, and he had finally provoked her enough to tell him what he had suspected for years. Of course he had never expected to hear everything that she had told him. Especially when she insisted that Dick hadn't abandoned her, because he was off planet with the Titans as his alto ego, Nightwing.

That had been a bit of a shocker. And while she had never said anything else after that, he was pretty sure he had put two and two together. He knew that Nightwing had formerly been Robin. And if Dick was Robin…..

"So tell me," he said casually as he settled himself in the plush chair sitting next to the bed. "Where HAS Bruce been keeping himself these past couple of days."

Stunned silence, and shocked looks met his statement and he allowed himself a satisfied smirk_. Uh huh_. He thought Babs would have given him a little more credit though- he had been the Police Commissioner after all. "Oh relax, I've had it figured out for awhile. If he wants to get cranky with someone then he can glare at me. It's been awhile since we've had a good argument."

That finally broke the ice, and the couple relaxed slightly with wry chuckles. "As long as you make it clear that neither of us spilled the beans," Dick told him only half joking. "Anyway, he's been locked away down in the cave. No one but Leslie's seen him in two days."

Time to push an old man's luck. Looking at his daughter, Jim Gordon cocked his head to one side. "Is Helena his daughter?"

There was a sharp intake of air, and then Barbara finally nodded slowly. "H-How did you know?"

Jim smiled a little and tapped his fingers next to his eyes. "Personality similarities aside? Her eyes. When she was younger, and her and I didn't always see eye to eye, I got this look from her on more than a few occasions that reminded me of a few I'd seen Batman give."

Dick laughed, and Barbara shook her head. "She was really disappointed when that look didn't work on me," his daughter admitted. "Personality similarities?"

"Don't forget I spent a lot of time with both men Babs. I may not have seen them as being one and the same but I got to know both of them over the years. Bruce had a passion for living life to the fullest. He loved to spend his money- a lot of it on charity. He enjoyed fast cars, loose women, and stirring up mischief. Batman may have been dark and brooding, but he lived life to the fullest as well. I'd never met a man more willing to sacrifice so much for this city.

"When you decided to train Helena, and help her to focus all that anger and channel into something useful, it hit me just how much she was like Him." He paused, his eyes growing distant for a moment in thought and then chuckled. "She's a chip off the old block alright….and that probably makes her hate him all the more doesn't it?" he asked sadly.

Even though he hadn't been one hundred percent sure who Helena's father was, he knew that she had hated whoever he was with a passion.

Barbara sighed as she picked at the expensive comforter, a tired look filling her face. "I honestly don't know what she's feeling right now dad. She was finally starting to come to terms with things, and then he showed up out of the blue."

Jim cocked his head to one side, listening to his daughter's tone and raised an eyebrow. "You sound like even you don't know how you feel about him coming back," he said perceptively.

His daughter did something she hadn't done in a very long time. She dropped her gaze, looked off to one side, and shrugged. It was something she only did when she was trying to avoid answering a question. Jim Gordon smiled softly at her and reached out to take her hand in his. He looked up at Dick, noticing his own troubled gaze. "What about you son? How do you feel about this?"

"I-I don't know," he admitted with a sigh. "I mean, I'm happy he's back. But….there's just so many questions. He hurt all of us by leaving like he did, and in a way I don't blame Helena one bit for hating him. All I want is to know why. Why he left - why he never came to see Barbara to make sure she was ok."

Jim nodded, then reached to tip his daughter's chin up. "There's nothing to be ashamed of sweetheart. You may try to hide behind that big brain of yours," he teased with a gentle smile. "But don't forget I know just how tender, and caring, and sensitive you are. I know you've been hiding it for so long because of Helena, but it's okay to be hurt and upset by what he did. But now that he's back, don't let this opportunity slip away to find out the answers to your questions."

He paused to make sure his words sank into her daughter's sometimes thick skull, and then sat back. "So where has that wildcat been lately? I haven't seen her either visit."

Another troubled look and tears welled in Barbara's eyes. "She's been downstairs most of the time, sitting with Dinah. Reese and Alfred have managed to coax her away for a couple of hours at a time to either eat or rest. She blames herself for not protecting Dinah…or me."

"Damn girl is as stubborn as her father," Gordon grumbled.

"Yeah, and Leslie is starting to get worried because some of her injuries should have been healed by now, but they aren't because she's not allowing her body the rest it needs," Dick added with a sigh of his own.

"Still no change in Dinah's progress then?" the older man asked sadly.

"No," was all his daughter was able to manage as the tears began to spill.

"What about Maza and her friends?"

"Hudson talked with Reese early this morning. Goliath's body was put into stasis for the time being until Elisa's healed enough for them to hold a funeral. She came through the surgery, and the doctors are pleased with her recovery. She woke up yesterday, but I guess she has a reputation, and they're keeping her heavily sedated for another day before they start letting her up."

Jim shook his head. "In all my years, I'd never seen anything like what happened the other night," the older man admitted, still in awe by the overwhelming events of two nights prior.

Dick smiled slightly, knowingly and nodded. "It's truly incredible to witness that kind of bravery in the face of such overwhelming odds. And it's even more amazing what a good plan and a little cooperation will get you."

Jim chuckled and shook his head. "The Mob though?" he asked, still questioning his daughter about the necessity of their involvement.

She managed a shaky half smile though her tears, and he reached over as he stood to place a kiss on her forehead. "That's my girl. I'm gonna go poke my nose around this place for a little while. I had several meetings to go to after I stopped by yesterday. I haven't been here since it was renovated after the earthquake."

"Alfred just brought lunch up, I'm sure he can whip something up for you if you haven't eaten yet."

"I think I might just do that," Jim said giving Barbara's uninjured shoulder a gentle squeeze as he left to explore the Manor.

An hour later…… 

"Hey hellcat," a familiar voice greeted quietly, startling Helena out of the half doze she had been in.

"Hey," she mumbled back, her tone a little sharp at the intrusion.

Barbara's father raised an eyebrow at her. "Lack of sleep is no one's friend. You look like hell."

"Gee thanks," she said dryly. "So did Barbara get the same loving treatment?"

"Nah," he said easily as he sat in a chair across from Helena's post by Dinah's bed. "She was smart enough to be resting and healing."

"I'll heal just fine thank you. Genes remember?" she told him sarcastically.

"Huh. Just that from where I'm sitting, those genes must be slowing down a bit cause I think I actually see a scar forming on your forehead."

Helena frowned a bit, and he saw her eyes flicker slightly from blue to gold and then back. "Of course I guess your father's genes would have to kick in at some point though," he said casually.

That baited her. She was out of her chair in a flash and leaning over him, her eyes now fully feral. "Leave my father out of this," she growled at him.

It wasn't the first time she had tried to intimidate him, so he merely fixed her with a hard gaze of his own. "Kind of hard to do when he's sitting locked up in his sanctuary fifty feet away now isn't it hellcat?" he asked softly.

Surprise broke through her anger and she backed away from him with a gasp. "What?"

"Look Hel, I know you blame yourself for what happened to the kid. But there's a lot more to you sitting down here for nearly two days straight, and we both know it."

Helena eyed him warily, and he almost chuckled when she finally began to pace. She was cornered by the truth, and she knew there was no escaping it. "I'm NOT going to let him just slip away again," she spat out angrily as she glared at the heavy door that her father had locked himself behind for the past couple of days.

"He owes it to me…to us to at least explain! If he wants to crawl away like a coward again, fine. But at the very least he owes all of us an apology."

"Have you tried talking to him?"

She stopped and looked at him as if he had just grown a third head. "Why? Why do I have to be the one to go to him?" she demanded.

Jim sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Jesus Christ you two are so alike," he muttered.

"Shut up!" Helena yelled at him, angry once more.

Jim stood up and leveled a finger at her. "That's about all I'm going to put up with from you Helena," he told her sternly. He had dealt with all manner of people, meta or not, in his lifetime and he wasn't about to be intimidated or disrespected by his daughter's former ward.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Barbara. I knew your father for a long time. I knew him as both men even if I didn't know they were the same. Everyone else upstairs has been dancing around the subject for years, and it's time someone gave it to you straight. Bruce is your father Helena and as much as you are like your mother, a great deal of you is like him as well."

His words and tone seemed to have finally silenced her, and he pressed whatever small advantage he had gained over her. "Do you know what Helena? That isn't really a bad thing. I know you may find that impossible to believe, but I knew Bruce and Batman, for far longer than anyone else here, except for Alfred. But I'm sure he's been treating you with kid gloves all these years, and so no one's ever really forced you to hear what kind of man your father really was. Well you know what? I'm gonna tell you whether you like it or not. Yes, he hurt my daughter when he left like he did, but I've seen lesser men eat their guns after suffering through what he did."

"Stop," Helena said quietly as tears began to form in her eyes.

"No Hel," he told her firmly. "Not this time," he said in a determined voice as he took a step forward closing the gap between them. "Your father was a good man. I owe him my life dozens of times over, and this city owes it's existence to the sacrifices he made for all those years. He wasn't a perfect man by any standard, but he was a _good_ man Helena."

She looked away, a tear slowly escaping down her cheek. "I know," she whispered. Then her head snapped back up, her eyes blazing once more in hurt and anger. "But I'm not going to make him show me that Jim. If he wants me to know who he really is, then he's going to have to prove it to me."

Jim nodded, tapped a finger to his chin for a moment and then reached out to take her hand in his. She hesitated, and he gave her a reproving look before he pulled her across the room towards the large door.

"What are you doing?" she asked somewhere between anger and fear.

"Introducing you to an old friend," was all he said with a warm smile as he knocked firmly on the door.


	28. Clearing the air

A/N: So I jumped the gun and posted this chapter before I did a final review of it and realized I forgot a few things….like the double spacing between paragraphs for easier reading. Sorry! I also added a little bit here and there to give this chapter some finishing touches - I wasn't completely happy with it after I went back and re-read it. Anyway E.P. many thanx for the recent reviews and of course Midnite you always get a tip of the hat.

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**Midday**

Either the doctors had underestimated how much sedatives she needed, or her body was adapting to the drugs quicker than normal. Elisa Maza didn't really care why she was awake, she only knew that being awake and in pain was far better than being trapped in the drug induced nightmares. She heard a shift in the air near her bed, sensed the nurse coming near her - most likely with a syringe ready to plunge her back into her own personal hell - and weakly held up a protesting hand.

"No," she croaked out, her voice scratchy from the recently removed ventilator and disuse. "Please don't put me under again," she nearly begged. She felt a wetness seep out from under the bandages around her eyes and trickle down her cheek. Under most circumstances she would be loathing herself for such a display of weakness. But recent events had all but shredded her tough emotional exterior, leaving her heart exposed and bleeding.

There was a pause and then a sigh. "You really need to be resting Elisa," a kind voice with a southern accent informed her.

"I promise….just please…no more drugs….."

"Are you having bad dreams because of them sweetie?" she asked, as Elisa heard the syringe being set on the table next to the bed before the nurse began to dab at her tears with a tissue.

Elisa merely nodded and the nurse made a comforting noise. "Ok, if you promise to stay put and rest on your own, I'll let Doctor Majors know that we can forgo keeping you sedated. Your family is upstairs, would you like for me to see about smuggling your parents in for a few minutes?"

Her throat tightened and she lifted her hand once more to her bandaged eyes before shaking her head. "Not yet," she whispered turning her head away from the nurse, more tears creeping past the bandages.

"Now it's not as bad as you think sweetie," the nurse tried to reassure her, as she brought Elisa's face gently back around so she could tend to the fresh tears. "You're banged up something fierce alright, but the doc say's you'll heal up just fine."

Silence met her statement, the tears kept flowing, and Elisa could almost hear the other woman nod. "Ahhhhh, so I'd be guessing that all this is over more than what has happened to you," she said perceptively.

Elisa felt her jaw tighten, and then grimaced as pain shot through her face and deep into her skull. She hissed sharply as her whole body jerked as the pain seemed to race through the rest of her body like fire, and the nurse pressed a small device into her hand.

"Morphine button. When the pain gets to be too much, just hit the button and it'll give you a little kick to take the edge off," she explained.

Elisa gratefully hit the button, and moments later began to feel an icy numbness spread through her body. The nurse stayed by her bedside, pressing a cool cloth against her cheeks and neck. Once Elisa felt herself drift into that weightless, almost uncaring state she finally spoke again.

"How long?"

"Since the Dock Wars? That's what the media is calling them by the way. A couple of days - it's about two in the afternoon on the twenty-seventh."

"What's happened?" For some reason, Elisa felt better speaking to this stranger about what was going on, than her own family. She had too many emotions she was trying to cope with right now, she didn't think she could handle her family's overwhelming concern on top of everything else.

The nurse seemed to realize this and settle into the chair next to her. "Where would you like me to start?"

"The Clan," was her first request.

"They made it back from their battle with only a few cuts and bruises. They've been dealing with the loss of Goliath as well as can be expected. I don't deal too much with them, but from what I've seen, Brooklyn's doing a fine job of trying to keep their spirits up and help them cope. He even let Angela's mother stick around to help the girl through this whole ordeal. From what I hear, and given your own reaction, I'd say that must be quite a gesture on his part."

Even in her condition, Elisa found herself surprised. Brooklyn had allowed Demona to stay under the same roof he was? He really had come a long way in such a short time. "How…how is Angela?"

"Poor dear is trying so hard to be brave, but she has her moments, and her mother is always nearby for when she does break down. She's spent both nights pestering Doctor Majors to allow her to sit by your side. He finally broke down last night and allowed Angela in here for a couple of hours. Her mother didn't seem to happy about it, but she lurked outside the doorway the whole time as well," the nurse told her and Elisa almost smirked a tiny bit.

"We haven't exactly been friends," Elisa admitted. "Water?" she requested, her throat and tongue drying even more with the extra morphine.

"Just a couple of sips now," the nurse instructed as she pressed a straw to Elisa's lips.

After she had chased away some of the cotton, Elisa nodded her thanks and rested back against her pillows. "Do you know…what happened to our friends in New Gotham?"

"Well, only bits and pieces. The news reported that several civilians were killed in the crossfire, but I overheard Hudson saying that most of the people who had volunteered to help survived. He comes by every night to check on your progress to call your friends with an update. Last night he was in here asking Doctor Majors about possibly making room for another patient however. It seems that one of the girls was hurt badly during the fight and has been in a coma since. Doc was on the phone with her physician for awhile last night, but I guess the girl isn't stable enough to move yet."

"Do you know who?" Elisa asked in a fearful whisper. She had no idea what had happened back at the docks that night, but it had sounded and looked like someone had dropped a bomb in the middle of everything. Whatever it was, it had been strong enough to knock out everyone at once. Elisa had a sinking feeling she already knew who the injured party was, because there was only one meta she had met that wielded enough power to possible do something like that.

"I didn't catch her name, but the doc was upset when he found out she wasn't even an adult yet. Said she was just a child, and had no right to be in a fight like that," she sighed.

"Dinah's been through more in her life than most adults," Elisa told the nurse quietly. "She had the power to do something that night, and no one would have been able to stop her even if we had wanted to try."

"That's what Hudson said when the doc questioned him about her," the nurse chuckled.

"What's your name?" Elisa asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Annabelle," she answered and raised an eyebrow when she noticed Elisa's lips turn up a fraction. "What?"

"You're name fits your voice Annabelle."

"Flattery will get you everywhere detective," Annabelle laughed.

"Can it get me Owen Burnett?"

That made the nurse blink. "You don't want to see your parents, but you want me to fetch that dreadfully boring blonde fellow that follows Mr. Xanatos around?"

Elisa shrugged slightly, too doped up to notice the pain. "It's important that I talk to him, Annabelle."

"Well, you got your reasons and who am I to question them right? Just remember that this is against the doc's orders so he can only stay for a few minutes understand?"

"I only need a couple of minutes."

"Hang tight then and I'll go see if I can find him."

Elisa heard the nurse shuffle out of the room and sighed as silence filled the room. She could feel the morphine trying to pull her back into the world of unconsciousness. It was bad enough that her eyes were bandaged and she couldn't help the constant images that were playing against the screen of darkness while she was awake. However while she was awake, she could at least try to focus on something else to keep the grief and guilt at bay. Asleep, she knew it would all overwhelm her once more, and she dreaded it enough to fight the drugs with everything she had.

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**Batcave**

**New Gotham**

**Midday**

She had tried. She had really, really tried to keep her temper in check and at least make the effort to be cordial. That had all been pitched out the window the moment her father finally answered the door, took a look at Helena and Jim and then told Jim this wasn't the best time to do this.

No one, not even Helena, could have braced for the right hook that seemed to come from nowhere and dropped Bruce Wayne on the ground before he could draw another breath. Jim Gordon turned stunned to the young woman standing next to him, and stared at her as she rubbed her fist, her jaw tightly clenched.

"That wasn't quite what I had in mind Helena," he said hesitantly after clearing his throat. He knelt down to check on Bruce, wincing as he saw a vicious bruise already forming on the man's jaw.

Helena shoved him aside though and hauled the unconscious man up single handedly. Jim stepped back, hearing her breathing coming out in harsh pants, as her eyes flickered to gold. "Go upstairs and get everyone down here."

"Do you really-," he broke off as her feral eyes bore into him and she growled.

"Everyone?" he asked uncertainly.

"Everyone."

Jim Gordon sighed and hurried back upstairs to gather the Manor residents. _More like get reinforcements_, he thought ruefully to himself as he rushed into the kitchen, startling Alfred.

"Master Jim is everything-."

"No time Alfred, Helena and her dad are about to have a go at it. I'll go get my daughter and Dick, can you find the others?"

"Oh dear," Alfred sighed as he set down the plates he had in hand. "I'll go find Master's Drake and Reese at once."

Gordon nodded and then jogged up the stairs and knocked urgently on his daughter's door and barely waited for approval to enter. Babs and Dick sat up instantly when he approached them, sensing trouble.

"What's wrong dad?" Barbara asked worriedly as her father picked up a robe from next to the bed and handed it to her.

"Sorry to bother you kids, but Helena just knocked her father out, and then demanded that I round you all up immediately."

"Oh boy," Dick sighed as he rolled smoothly out of bed and reached over to help Barbara with the robe. He looked at the red-head. "You need help into your chair, love?"

She grimaced and then nodded, knowing that with a broken arm she couldn't give herself the needed leverage to maneuver herself into her wheelchair alone. Dick gently transferred her into her chair, her father wrapped a light blanket around her legs and feet, and the hurried back downstairs.

Blinking, Leslie stepped out of her room as the trio rushed by and sleepily inquired where the fire was. When she was informed of the events unfolding downstairs she too threw on a robe and hurried after them.

Reese, Tim, and Alfred met up with them in the study and the younger men took the quicker way down, allowing Babs and the older adults to cram into the small elevator. They gathered in the cave's massive control room and looked around worriedly.

"You don't think she threw him off the ledge do you?" Tim asked into the confused silence.

Several glares were turned his way and he shrugged defensively. "What? I was just asking."

Leslie had gone over to check on Dinah, when she finally heard noises coming from the training room. "I think they're in there," she called to the others as she moved towards the room.

The group entered the training room and froze at the sight before them. Helena had stripped her father bare of his shirt and shoes, handcuffed his hands behind his back, and had a rope pulled through his arms to hold him up from one of the supports in the ceiling. Definitely not a comfortable position to be in.

"Helena?" Barbara finally asked hesitantly.

The angry young woman turned from her handiwork and nodded to the others. "Good. You're here," was all she muttered before she turned back to her father and backhanded him. A split lip was added to his bruise, and a small trail of blood dribbled down his chin. "Wake up!" she shouted at him. He grunted, and his eyes fluttered for a second. A not so gentle nudge with her foot to his chest snapped his head back, and the others could now clearly see the large bruise on his jaw.

Leslie jerked as she watched the young woman handle her old friend so brutally, and would have moved to intervene if it weren't for Dick's firm hold on her shoulder. "I wouldn't get in the middle of this right now Leslie," he warned her quietly.

"But-," she began to protest.

"Wait and see what happens."

Leslie looked over to see the rest of the group watching the scene intently, but no one- not even Barbara- looked ready to stop it.

Helena reached down, grabbed a fistful of his short hair keeping his head bent back at an uncomfortable angle and patted him on the injury. "That's right Bruce, time to wake up and finally face the music."

His eyes finally blinked open, and Helena watched with amusement as he instantly took in his situation and watched his jaw clench tightly. "Not the best time to do this Bruce?" she snapped at him sarcastically. "Tell me, were you just gonna hide in that tomb of yours until you could run off again?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you Helena?" he ground out, his steely gaze boring into hers.

Helena gave a sharp bark of near hysterical laughter. "No?" she asked incredulously. Then she stepped behind him and forced his head around to take in the others that were gathered in the room. "Well what about them Bruce? What about the people that you trained with, and fought side-by-side with. What about the people who kept your secrets for you and were always there for you when you came home at the end of each night? What about those people over there, some of whom lost EVERYTHING, only to have you abandon them!"

Helena bent down, her mouth next to his ear. "You meant the world to them Bruce, and you just threw that all aside like it meant nothing," she growled angrily at him.

He stared at the people across from him for a moment, trying to decipher their feelings. Trying to decipher his own. He hadn't been prepared for this. He had expected a confrontation with Helena, but not this. He hadn't been expecting to face the others like this. Damn that girl! He wasn't about to let her get the best of him without a fight.

Her shoved upwards, smashing his skull into hers, knocking her backwards as he used the rope to bring his body through his arms so that his hands were now in front of him. She had searched him pretty well, but she had left his belt on. Five seconds later, the cuffs dropped to the floor and he turned to face his daughter who had managed to stay on her feet despite a broken nose.

Father and daughter circled each other warily, both having drawn blood on the other. Barbara watched the scene in morbid fascination. Part of her wanted to stop them before things got too out of hand, but another tiny part of her was cheering Helena on. The analytical portion of her brain was simply observing and cataloging the standoff. She absently wondered if either of the two realized just how alike their stances and movements were.

"This is between you and me Helena," Bruce grit out, keeping himself just out of arm's reach. "Leave them out of this."

"NO! I will NOT leave them out of this because we're all in this together Bruce. THEY became my family when you left, and however hard they tried to hide it, you hurt them deeply by what you did. I don't care if you're my father, NO ONE hurts my family! Not anymore."

Over on the other side of the room, Tim almost smirked. He loved a good family brawl and this one had been long overdue. He hadn't been as effected by Bruce's sudden departure as the rest, but he was happy to see the Almighty Bat about to be taken down a couple of notches. Looking over at the rest of the group he took in the mixed emotions playing on their faces. There was a pain that they had kept hidden for so long floating just under the surface. What surprised him the most was the look of relief. Relief in the knowledge that they would finally get the answers to their questions, because one way or another Helena was going to get those answers. Even if it meant she had to beat them out of Bruce

The silence from the group spoke volumes to Bruce, and his jaw tightened. He finally stopped circling Helena and pointed a finger at her angrily as he began to advance on her. "You have no idea what I went through Helena-,"

"NO idea? You've got to be kidding me right?" Again her laughter was teetering on the edge of sanity. "I lost my mother that night! The ONE person I knew in my life that loved me. How do you think it felt to finally find out who my father was only to have him run off and leave you? A man who is supposed to be a legend couldn't handle the fact that he had a child," she spat at him bitterly as she shoved him back roughly. The force slammed him hard into the wall behind him, and he paused for a second as he forced air back into his lungs as he watched her warily once more.

But the anger seemed to have fled her body, as pain and loss filled her eyes and she wiped savagely at an errant tear that escaped down her cheek. Dear god is that what she had thought all this time? That he'd left because of her or he thought she had been some kind of mistake? His aggressive stance disappeared instantly and stepped forward to put a hand on her shoulder, but quickly found himself back on the ground. Instinct took over, and he kicked out, sweeping her feet out from under her before she could react. He flipped over quickly and pinned her shoulders to the ground with his knees.

Again, Leslie moved to intercede, but this time it was Alfred who gently held her back. "Ms Helena would resent it very much if we were to interfere right now. Let them settle this their way," he advised.

Blue eyes bore into gold, and Bruce found himself mesmerized by them for a moment. "It was never you Helena," he told her quietly. She stopped her struggles for a moment, and he reached down to place strong hands on both her shoulders as his eyes bore down into her. "It was never you, and I'm sorry if you thought that," he apologized sincerely.

"What about them?" she asked jerking her chin to the others, who had watched the whole scene unfold without a word.

Bruce looked back at them, seeing the expectant looks on their faces for the first time. His eyes finally met Barbara's and he could see the pain she was hiding behind those emerald eyes. He looked away, the guilt crushing him once more, and rolled off Helena.

"What do you want?" he asked her as she stood.

"I want what they want," she told him in a less hostile voice as she rolled to her feet and stood toe to toe with him- something most people would never do. "We all want to know why Bruce. Why did you leave us when we needed you the most?"

He was silent for a minute, his head bowed, and everyone sensed him gathering the strength he needed to speak the next words. "Because for the first time in my life, I failed. I had lost before…but never failed. That night I failed those I loved the most. After I tracked down the Joker, I told myself that I could never return to Gotham. That I could no longer be a part of your family - that I didn't deserve to be a part of your family."

"Then why return now?"

"Because when I found out what was going to happen that night, I couldn't fail you again. I didn't expect to be a part of your life Helena. I still don't, and I never expected any of you to welcome me back," he told the rest. "But I couldn't have lived with myself if I had allowed you to be killed when I could have done something to prevent it. I needed to make sure you were all safe, and then I was going to leave you to get back to your lives."

"Did it even occur to you to ask us what _we_ wanted?" Helena asked in a tight voice.

He lifted his gaze to see that his daughter had slipped out of her feral mode and blue eyes so like his own, seemed to peer into his soul. "What do _you_ want Helena?" he asked tiredly, defeated.

She glared at him for a minute, the silence stretching out, before she finally glanced past him to the others. When her gaze returned to his, he could see the pain warring behind her blue eyes. It was an old pain…one he had caused so long ago. "I want the chance to get to know the man that is supposed to be my father," she answered quietly.


	29. Life Goes On

Hi everyone! Sorry this took so long been super busy lately but I managed to finish this next section. As

always a shout out to everyone that has reviewed and a thank you. Hopefully I'll be able to post the next

section sooner than I did this one. Thank you all once again.

P.S. Sorry A whole section got left out when I posted this! Here's the updated version

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**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**Still midday**

The door finally opened, and Elisa turned her head slightly in the direction of the approaching footsteps. "Nurse Mayweather said you requested to see me?" Owen Burnett asked, his voice actually puzzled.

"Thought you'd never make it here," she mumbled out, slowly losing to the drag of the morphine.

"I was in a meeting with Mr. Xanatos, but she insisted that it was important. Is there something that you require Detective?"

"Wh…what's goin' on with Dinah?"

She could almost hear the blonde man frown. She wished she had use of her eyes so she could actually witness his confusion. "The young woman from New Gotham? It appears she was injured gravely during the fight and has been in a coma ever since. I have not been told the nature of her injuries, but Hudson did tell me of her powers. Before you left, did you see how she was injured?" he inquired, clearly intrigued.

Elisa began to shake her head and then stopped abruptly as pain once again lanced through her head. "No," she hissed out through clenched teeth. When the throbbing abated some, she licked dry lips and continued. "I was on the yacht, away from the docks at that point. But it looked…and sounded like a bomb had gone off. It had…to have been her. She took everyone out….just like that," Elisa answered, panting slightly with the effort.

Owen was silent for a minute, waiting. "They call themselves meta-humans…but they're like Alex…aren't they?" she asked.

Owen nodded, looking down at the sightless woman laying before him, struggling to stay awake. "They are," he acknowledged. "Each halfling, or meta as they call themselves, bears the distinct signature of the Fae that lies in their heritage."

"So…Dinah is a…relative of yours….?" Her question trailed off as a grimace tightened her lips. There was a soft click of a button, and then the grimace slowly left with a sigh of relief.

"Yes she is."

"So then…you could heal her….without it really being interferring."

Owen Burnett allowed a puckish smirk to lift his lips since there was no one to witness it. "True I could. But you forget I still have limits on my powers."

"Oh c'me on," she mumbled. There was a long pause and he watched in fascination as she seemed to jerk herself awake, fighting the drugs as stubbornly as she did everything else. "Kid should get outta castle s'more 'nyway," she whispered. There was another minute long silence, she jerked again, and this time the sharp breath she sucked in was from a different kind of pain.

She began to mumble incoherently and Owen was only able to pick out a few words as she finally succumbed to the medication. "….lost too much….no more death….please…." A few stray tears leaked out from under the bandages again, and then the nurse was entering the room.

"I'm sorry Mr. Burnett but I'm going to have to ask you to leave now and let her rest," she requested as she moved to quiet Elisa's restlessness.

Owen took off his glasses and cleaned them with his tie as his alter ego briefly scanned the detective's surface thoughts. It made him shudder inside, and the Puck half of him wanted to cringe. Her memories of that night were far worse than Alex's visions. Thank goodness the boy hadn't been strong enough to see all of the details yet.

"Sadly, I doubt she will be receiving rest any time soon," he said in a flat voice as he replaced his glasses. "Please see to it that some one is physically with her at all times Nurse Mayweather. I believe Detective Maza is far more gravely wounded than any of us anticipated, and it would be unwise to leave her unattended."

With that cryptic comment he left to find Alex and his parents.

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**Batcave**

**New Gotham**

**Evening**

Barbara guided her chair out of the elevator and glanced towards the training room as she made her way over to where Leslie sat next to Dinah. "They're still in there?" she asked a tiny bit surprised.

"And what's even more amazing is that there have been no further sounds of violence either," Leslie answered dryly.

"I guess I'm just surprised because it has always been a fight to ever get either of them to open up about even the tiniest emotional issue. Helena may wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she would never talk about them."

Leslie shrugged. "A person can only pretend to be emotionally closed off for so long Barbara. A fact I think you have learned the hard way this past year as well," she reminded gently.

Barbara sighed, and looked away slightly ashamed. "God we're a screwed up bunch," she muttered tiredly as she rubbed absently at her broken arm.

"Is it bothering you much?" Leslie asked slipping into her professional role as she leaned forward to inspect the injured limb.

"I've had worse," Barbara answered, her expression more pained from the sight of Dinah still lying pale and unmoving, than from her own countless injuries. "How is she?"

Leslie sat back, giving up on trying to distract the redhead, and turned to her young patient. "There's been little change. I've run batteries of tests on her Barbara, and there is nothing physical to cause her condition."

"It's frustrating when you can't even see what your fighting against," Barbara said quietly as she reached out with her good hand and brushed some of the blonde's long hair back. "She's brought so much light into my world Leslie. She was as determined as Hel to prove herself to me…to us. It took Hel months to admit that she actually enjoyed having Dinah around, but I think both of us realized just how much we needed her the moment she insisted on staying."

Leslie simply listened as her friend got a distant look in her eyes as she opened up about the depth of her love for her youngest charge. "She was the first breath of fresh air either of us had had since that night. We had rebuilt our lives, we had made new identities for ourselves, and we had moved on…but the darkness never seemed to have left. And then one day Dinah showed up on our doorstep…literally…and suddenly it's like we have a family again."

Barbara was silent for a minute as she continued running her fingers through Dinah's hair, praying that the gifted teen could somehow sense her love. "Hel calls her Sunny D, and she hates it," Barbara told Leslie with a slightly amused expression. "But that's because she doesn't really understand just how much of a compliment it is."

Leslie smiled warmly at her long time friend. "You've done an amazing job guiding these two young women through some difficult periods in their lives Barbara. Both Selina and Carolyn would have been proud….but then I think they knew that you could do it or else they wouldn't have entrusted their care to you."

"But Carolyn-," Barbara began confused.

"Shhhh. She may not have left Dinah with you to begin with. Of course you were just cutting your teeth on a batarang back then yourself anyway," the older woman chuckled. "You were hardly an appropriate choice as a guardian. But you've told me in detail about what happened when Carolyn finally did come back. And Dinah told me a bit more when I talked with her about it after I helped tend to that nasty concussion she got a few months back," she admitted. Barbara raised an eyebrow, but Leslie merely fixed her with a firm gaze. "In the end, Carolyn was proud of what Dinah had become. And she knew it was all because of you, and that she could leave this life because you would be there to continue looking after her."

Barbara's green eyes watered, and she looked down at the body laying before her. But before she could say anything else, there was a clapping from overhead and a melodramatic sigh. Two pairs of eyes snapped upwards, and Leslie was out of her chair as she and Barbara gaped at the….people floating above them.

"Who the hell are you!" she demanded angrily as she rolled back to have a better view- and shot- at the elven-looking man that floated next to a familiar looking human child.

She had pitched her voice loud enough that Helena's hearing had obviously picked up her demand and both she and Bruce came running out of the training room. The brunette was by Barbara's side instantly, but Bruce hung back a bit sizing up the situation.

"What's going on here?" Helena growled, her eyes flickering gold.

"Now, now," the little man sighed rolling his eyes. "There's no need for hostility. And I really wish you would stop that growling you're scaring the kid."

"No she's not Uncle Puck," the boy huffed indignantly.

Helena's growling stopped instantly, and both she and Barbara looked at each other before looking back at the Fae with dawning understanding. "Did he just say Puck?"

"I thought you were the one with the keen hearing and all that," Puck answered sarcastically.

"So Elisa wasn't just pulling our leg about Avalon and you guys?" Helena asked uncertainly.

The Fae floated down in front of her, grinning. "Nope. I'm the real deal sister…well actually it would be cousin…distant that is. Alex can you tell me which one of our relatives helped produce this little wildcat?"

The child focused intently on Helena for a second and she shivered as she felt a…presence…seem to brush inside her. "Whoa, what the hell was that!" she demanded.

"Sekhmet?" the child answered.

"Clooossseee…who was Sekhmet's mommy?" Puck coached, ignoring Helena's mounting irritation.

Alex frowned, his tiny brow furrowing as he thought hard. Puck began whistling the Jeopardy theme song, Alex pursed his lips, and Helena finally snapped. "Ok what the hell did the kid just do to me, and why are you even here!" she shouted, advancing on the floating trickster.

"Bast!" the boy suddenly exclaimed.

Puck beamed at his student, and then hastily backed away from Helena waving a hand at her. "Down kitty!" he commanded, and Helena was instantly reduced to the meowing form of a kitten.

Alex clapped in amusement, floated down to the floor where he could pet the kitten, and giggled. "Careful Alex you don't know if she's had all her shots no-urk!"

"That would be my daughter you're referring to, and if you don't turn her back to normal immediately, this iron pipe is going to be doing more than cutting off your air circulation got it?" a steely voice threatened quietly.

"Got it!" Puck squawked hoarsely. Bruce released the struggling Fae who zipped away from him quickly and glowered at him while rubbing his throat where the iron had begun to burn. "You people are no fun. But don't you dare try and threaten the kid, because I won't be the only one you'll have to deal with."

Bruce took a step forward, pipe raising and Puck sighed. "Fine, fine. Alex play time is over, obviously Hudson was mistaken as to the hospitality of these people. Change Helena back and then we'll get down to business so we can leave."

"But-," the child began to protest, looking up from his spot on the floor where he had been petting the kitten form of Helena.

Barbara, who had been mostly silent the whole time as she tried to process what was going on, stared at the child intently. His face was extremely familiar. Then she gasped and every one looked over at her. "Oh my god, you're Alexander Xanatos!" she exclaimed softly. "But…how…?" she trailed off staring at the boy in wonder. Off to one side, even Bruce blinked, taken aback by that revelation.

Alex gave Helena one last good scratch along her back from neck to tail and then stood and approached Barbara. He held out a tiny hand, gave her a smile full of innocence, but with just enough mischief in his eyes to keep her alert and introduced himself formally. "Hi! I guess you already know my name, what's yours?"

"I'm Barbara Gordon, pleased to meet you Alexander. This is Doctor Leslie Thompkins, that is Mr. Wayne, and I think you've already met Helena," she told the boy with an amused smile. He had obviously made a quick impression on the cat-form of Helena because the kitten was curling around the boy's legs, purring loudly and demanding more attention.

The child giggled and reached down to pet Helena once more. Puck hovered several feet away, and cleared his throat. Alex crouched down and looked Helena in the eye. "I gotta change you back now 'cause I don't want your daddy to hurt Uncle Puck," he whispered. The kitten meowed, butted her head against Alex face and then he whispered something quietly in Latin as his eyes glowed green.

A moment later, Helena was back to her own self, and Alex stood and looked up expectantly. The room was still for a few seconds, waiting to see Helena's reaction. She stared down at the toddler, a mixture of emotions running across her face. Finally she chuckled, shook her head, and ruffled his hair before she moved to stand next to Barbara.

Barbara glanced up at her in surprise. "What?" Helena asked defensively. When Barbara said nothing, Helena shrugged. "What can I say? The kid knows all the right places to scratch."

Leslie chuckled softly, Barbara smirked, but Bruce continued looking stern. "So why the visit?" Helena asked into the ensuing silence. "What's all this about a lesson?"

"Long story short, I'm Alexander's teacher. Due to some…restrictions placed upon me by Lord Oberon a few years ago, I can only give up my human guise when I am either teaching or protecting Alexander."

"So the kid's meta too?" Helena asked.

"That's one way to put it. What you call meta-human, we call halflings. You are all descendants of some member of the Third Race. Magic is a very powerful thing, and carries through even the most diluted bloodlines. Now normally we aren't supposed to interfere with lives of humans, but Elisa helped to point out the loophole when it came to you and your young friend there," he answered with a gesture to Dinah.

"Elisa? Is she awake?" Barbara asked.

A troubled look crossed Puck's face, one that caused an uneasy feeling to settle in Barbara's stomach. "For a brief time she was. When she found out that Dinah was in a coma she asked me to come here and give you a hand. Of course the only way I can actually do that is by using the healing as a training exercise for Alex."

"Wait, you know what's wrong with her?" Leslie asked sitting up interested.

Puck eyed Bruce warily, and then cautiously moved over towards Alex. "Lesson time Alex. Now all I want you to do is focus on her life force just like you did with Elisa. Tell me what you find."

"Ok Uncle Puck," the boy said obediently, and his whole demeanor seemed to age decades as he crawled onto the bed and stared intently at Dinah's still figure. Several seconds later he gasped and looked over at Puck with shining eyes.

"She's….it's almost all gone!" he gasped in horror.

Puck nodded, his expression grim and sober. "Indeed. I want this to be a lesson to you Alex," he told them boy gravely as he floated down next to the child. "Dinah has a very powerful gift, not quite as strong as yours, but she could give you a run for your money. You remember how I'm always warning you about controlling your powers? That you should never let your emotions grow out of control while wielding your power? This is the reason why," the Fae told the boy, and everyone else there for that matter, sternly.

"Your gifts feed off your emotions, and make no mistake that they will destroy you as quickly as they can destroy an enemy if. Her gift went rogue on her because she lost control, and this is the result. She's lucky she didn't kill anyone, including herself, the other night. On her own, it would take her months, perhaps even years to recover enough strength to wake up. And when she did, she wouldn't even be able to pick up a feather with her mind."

Helena's sharp hearing picked up Barbara's breath catching as Puck announced that ugly bit of information. She reached down, and placed a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder, lacing her fingers in Barbara's when the older woman sought further comfort. It was just as Leslie had feared, and more.

"Can we heal her?" the child whispered- almost fearfully. Obviously Puck's warning was not going unheeded.

Puck gave him a comforting smile, and nodded. "Of course we can my dear boy. All she needs a jump start, and her body will handle the rest. Now, she will be by far the strongest mind you have touched yet, so I'm going to guide this lesson, but I'm going to have to draw the power from you. So get comfortable, and then we'll go in ok?"

"Ok!" the boy chirped excitedly, now relieved that they could help Dinah. He settled himself more comfortably on the bed, and Puck floated down next to him making himself comfortable as well.

The Fae looked over at the three humans staring at him and pointed a finger at them. "What you are about to witness can only be attempted by trained professionals so don't try this at home ladies and gentlemen. Please fasten your seatbelts, place your seats in their upright and locked positions, and don't bother the captain or his co-pilot while they navigate the friendly skies of Dinah's mind ok?"

They blinked, he turned to Alex, and with a nod the two closed their eyes and slipped into a combined trance as they dove into Dinah's sub-conscious.

_Uncle Puck?_

_Right here next to you my boy._

_This place is scary._

_Hmmmmm. A lot scarier than I thought it would be._

_Who are those people? Why would they hurt her like that?_

_These are Dinah's memories Alex. I believe those people were her parents at one time._

_But why would they do all those bad things to her? _

_Because some people are just bad Alex. Don't ask me why because I can't explain it, but there are people out there that are so messed up in their heads that they would do things like that even to a child, _Puck answered sadly.

_Can we make her forgets so she doesn't have bad dreams?_

_No, it's who she is Alex. I doubt very much she would appreciate us erasing a large part of her memory. Now let's get on with the healing ok?_

_Ok. _

_First we find her core- or at least what's left of it. Follow me…there now you see that small shimmer of light?_

_Yeah._

_See how it's surrounded by a large area of nothingness? Imagine her core as a basketball. Ok now normally that whole area would be filled with the light, but because she's so weak, all that's left is that little itty-bitty pebble of light. The rest of the area is dark. What we need to do is to start filling that ball back up. Once we give her enough, her own body will start replenishing that energy on its own with some time and rest. _

_How much do we gotta give her?_

_Not much. Now remember how I taught you to channel your strength to me?_

_Uh-huh._

_Ok, I want you to do the same thing to her. Now remember, when you do this you will be in direct contact with her consciousness. Given her abilities, she may try to kick you out so you need to establish trust right away ok?_

_What happens if she kicks me out?_

_We'll try again, but if she refuses to let you in then I'll take over. Sometimes a little forcefulness is needed. But I don't think that will happen here…she's really too weak to fight much. Think you can handle this?_

_No problem Uncle Puck. _

_Lead the way then!_

Alex focused on drawing his own energy to his surface and then he moved forward, into that dark ball where only a tiny flicker of life remained. He was suddenly hit with a wave of fear and hesitation._ Puck? _he whispered, frightened.

_It's ok Alex I'm just outside if you need me, _the trickster answered back reassuringly.

Alex hated this dark place, but he suddenly realized that it wasn't just his fear he was feeling_. She's afraid of the dark too Uncle Puck._

_Given some of her memories I can see why_, his mentor commented dryly_. Now don't dally around in there too long, remember we do have a time schedule to keep._

_Ok. _The child moved towards the flicker of light, and reached out mentally to brush against it. The light sudden flared a tiny bit and he felt the fear double

_No it's okay! _He cried out as he tried to soothe the agitated light_. 'Lisa's my friend and I'm here to help. You don't hafta be scared now._

He felt Dinah's consciousness relax slightly and he smiled._ She's gonna let me help her Uncle Puck!_

_Very good Alex. Now remember, slow and steady. You don't want to overtax yourself, nor do you want to send her own system into shock._

_I know, I know_, the boy sighed, having heard the same warning with nearly every lesson. He brushed his mind against Dinah's and opened a small rift in the protective barrier around his own power.

It had been dark for so long. She hated the dark, and yet she knew that this was only the beginning. That realization had frightened her more than anything she had ever faced in her life. The only thing that kept her mind anchored to her body, was the familiar and comforting presence of her family, just beyond the fringes of her consciousness. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

Then the darkness and silence was invaded by the presence of two strangers. She immediately recoiled as one of them tried to 'touch' her, fearing who they were and what they wanted. But when a child's voice echoed through the darkness, she paused in her retreat. Once more the child called to her, and she heard him use a name accompanied by familiar face…one that she had come to trust over the past couple of weeks.

_Elisa?_ Had she sent these two strangers? Were they here to bring her out of the darkness?

Her questions were answered as the child brushed his mind against hers again, this time inviting her to lower her guard completely to take in the warm and brilliant energy he was offering.

Like a drowning woman, she stopped resisting immediately and latched on to the lifeline he was throwing her. _Easy now_, a second voice guided. _Don't get greedy now girl, or you'll wind up in a worse predicament than you are in now_.

Dinah forced herself to listen to the second voice, and relaxed her mind's desperate grip on the child. Once the boy had re-asserted himself in the link, the flow of energy grew a little stronger and steadier, and she let out a mental sigh as she slowly began to feel her strength return.

The room had been absolutely silent for five minutes, as everyone watched and waited for some sign that Dinah was going to come out of her coma. Suddenly Helena's head tilted to one side, and Leslie leaned forward, eyes glued to the monitor.

"Heart rate is picking up," she whispered, almost reverently.

"Her breathing has changed too," Helena confirmed, as she cast a hopeful look down at her friend and mentor.

Barbara, who had been holding her breath for who knew how long, dropped her forehead onto clasped hands and released a shaky breath. "Please," she whispered so softly only Hel heard it. "Please let her be ok," she asked, tears beginning to cloud her vision and tighten her throat.

_Who are you? _

Forming questions and thoughts. _Definitely a good sign. You can start to ease up now my boy, the second older sounding voice instructed. As for introductions, I am Puck and my young assistant here is Alex._

Dinah examined Alex, since his contact with her allowed an open mental link. His energy aura was almost blinding it was so brilliant. Whoever he was, she quickly realized just how powerful he was. Even though he was feeding some of his own life force into her, his aura had barely dimmed. She gasped however when she realized he was just a child.

_How?_ She wondered.

_Good genes,_ Puck chuckled. The mental IV of energy began to fade slowly, and she looked around. _But….it's still very dark._

_Yes, but Alex cannot give you too much of his power. Mixing magics is always a bad thing, and mixing auras can be even worse. Alex is giving you enough energy to wake up. Once you do that, your body will take over from there and re-supply itself. But that means at least a month of rest young lady!_ Puck told her sternly.

_A month?_ Dinah gasped mentally.

The silence in the cave was broken by Dinah's audible gasp, and everyone jumped slightly.

_At least. And when I say rest, I mean absolutely NO using your powers. Not even a little bit. You nearly killed yourself and everyone else back at the docks with that little uncontrolled stunt of yours. The fact that you're obviously just starting to grow in your powers is what saved you then and now. Had you lost control at full strength, we wouldn't even be having this conversation._

Dinah mentally bowed her head, knowing she fully deserved the chastisement_. I never meant to hurt anyone...I just wanted it to stop._

_Well thankfully, only you ended up as the worst casualty of your overload, and you are the one we could fix. Are you finished Alex?_

_Yeap,_ the boy answered as Dinah felt him move back from her.

Dinah shivered as his warmth disappeared from her mind, but she felt him smile at her. _It'll only be cold for a little while_, he told her.

She chuckled a little. _You sound like you're speaking from experience._

_He is. When he was a couple of years old, he decided to throw a temper tantrum and burned himself out pretty good one night. I don't know who was the bigger wreck, him or his parents._

_Uncle Puck!_ The child protested, embarrassed.

_Well enough stories, you father was very insistent about you getting to bed on time tonight young man and we still have to give you a bath. Our lesson is done here._

_Wait just one last thing, Alex said he knew Elisa, but I couldn't make out how._

_Let's just say we're family friends, and I'm sure we'll be meeting soon enough. _

_How is she? Did everything go okay?_ Dinah inquired before they could leave. As an immense wave of sadness washed over her, she suddenly wished she hadn't.

_Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan. The war was won, but not without cost. But you have enough to worry about right now young lady, so rest and heal._

With that she was left alone, and she mentally blinked as she was once again surrounded by silence. That was, until she slowly became aware of voices for the first time since the abyss had swallowed her.

"Wh- where'd they go?" Helena snapped as she jumped to her feet when the Fae and the child disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

"What about Dinah?" Barbara was asking as she stared at Dinah's still unmoving body.

Leslie was bent over her monitors, but she straightened and gave Barbara a hopeful smile. "All her vitals have stabilized, and her brain activity has resumed normal functions."

Bruce stepped forward, and stared intently at the blonde. "Talk to her Barbara," he encouraged quietly, much to everyone's surprise. "Look at her eyes, she's fighting to come out of it."

Everyone looked back over, and watched as Dinah's eyes moved rapidly under closed lids. Barbara rolled closer to Dinah and took one slim hand into her own. "That's right Dinah," she encouraged gently. "You can fight this sweetheart. Just listen to my voice, and let it bring you back to us. I know how much you hate the dark….God I can only image how afraid you've been, but I'm here for you now and so is Hel. We'll always be here for you sweetie, so don't give up now when you're so close."

Tears began to trickle from emerald eyes and everyone held their breath while Dinah struggled to join the waking world. Finally, her lids began to flutter, and the whites of her eyes could be seen rolling slightly through the slim opening.

"Come on kid," Hel said taking Dinah's other hand in hers and squeezing. "Come back to us, or so help me god I'll find a way to kick your ass back to the land of the living."

There was another moment of silence, and then Dinah's lips moved ever so slightly. "You…wish…." She whispered so faintly that even Helena barely heard it.

But from the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes and the relieved- almost delirious- laugh that bubbled from her chest, she did. Barbara leaned forward, hugging Dinah fervently, unable to speak around the lump that had formed in her throat.

Bruce withdrew from the room, leaving the two women to welcome back a young woman that had become a sister and a daughter to them. Leslie hung back for a little while as well, allowing them a crucial bonding moment, before she moved in to check on Dinah and then encouraged her to rest once she was certain the girl was out of critical condition.

Barbara and Helena both refused to move from her side, so the elderly woman followed Bruce's example and allowed herself to head upstairs for her first night of decent sleep in days. As she exited the elevator in Bruce's office she was surprised to see him on the phone, with someone other than Barbara's father. And she slowed her exit from the office, curiosity getting the better of her, as she tried to discreetly listen in on the conversation long enough to decipher who he would be calling as Bruce Wayne.

/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/oo/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/o/ooo

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**Late Evening**

David Xanatos looked at his cell phone slightly irritated. He had forgotten to turn it off, but the number was vaguely familiar, and his gut told him he shouldn't ignore the call. So, despite his wife's protests, he answered it.

"Xanatos."

"Mr. Xanatos I hope I'm not catching you at an inconvenient time," the caller said, his voice a stirring from the past.

"Actually I'm just about to sit down to dinner with my wife. Is there something I can help you with?"

"I believe you already have, and I wished to express my gratitude. I don't know exactly how it came about that your son obtained his abilities, but his gift was greatly appreciated tonight."

"Ah, his field trip to heal Dinah," Xanatos deduced. "I must admit that I had some rather persuasive pressure to allow him to travel out tonight with his tutor to practice. I'm glad the lesson was a success. May I ask to whom I'm speaking with though? The voice is familiar, but I haven't been able to place it."

There was a small chuckle on the other end of the line. "It has been awhile Xanatos, and we only met twice when you were first cutting your teeth in the cutthroat world of building your own multi-billion dollar corporation."

David Xanatos sat back in his chair in shock, and then chuckled as the voice finally clicked into place with a face. One he had neither seen, nor heard anything about for the last decade or so. "Bruce Wayne."

"Very good David."

"I wasn't aware that you were back."

"Officially, I'm not. There are only a few close friends that know I'm back in New Gotham. I must congratulate you Xanatos – you gave my company a run for it's money in my absence. Every day I expected to hear the news that Xanatos Enterprises had done a hostile take-over of Wayne Industries."

"The thought had crossed my mind a few times," Xanatos admitted. His wife was now listening to the conversation, intrigued and she raised an eyebrow. "So tell me Mr. Wayne, am I to understand that the timing of your return is not just by coincidence?"

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line. "I think we both know the answer to that David. As for whether I will stay or not, that still remains to be seen."

"I would like to extend an invitation to you for a quiet lunch or dinner at my home to discuss some….personal business. If you do decide to leave, I hope you will still consider my invitation."

"I will David. I'll be in touch within the next couple of days."

Xanatos powered off his phone and looked over at his wife. "Well that was certainly unexpected."

"Indeed. So what did the richest bachelor recluse have to say?"

"He called to thank us for letting Alex go and heal Dinah, which leads me to believe that there is a great deal more to Mr. Bruce Wayne than meets the eye."

Fox thought about that as she sipped on the wine that was set before her. "I never got the opportunity to meet him when I was younger, though I did see him at a few of the party's my father actually did drag us too. It will be very interesting to see what really lies beneath that playboy exterior."

/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/oo

**Infirmary**

**Late evening**

"What do you mean we can't see her?"

Angela's keen hearing picked up the angry voice of Peter Maza from several corridors away, and fearing the worst she practically ran towards the infirmary where Elisa was recovering.

"I'm sorry Mr. Maza, but when she woke up today, she said she didn't want any visitors just yet and I have to abide by those wishes," the nurse was trying to explain gently.

Angela skidded to a halt, drawing in a hopeful breath. "Elisa's awake?"

"Yes but they won't let us in to see her!" Derek grumbled angrily.

"But…why?"

"Look we're her family-," Peter began angrily.

"Please…can't we see her for just a few minutes?" Diane begged.

The nurse looked at the stones sadly and shook her head. "I would like nothing more than to let you folks in that room. God only knows what the poor dear is going through right now, but obviously it's bad enough that she can't even bear to have the people she loves the most around her yet."

The nurse looked around the hallway and then lowered her voice. "Look, I've heard the rumors, and I've heard her cry out for him in her sleep all afternoon," she told them dismally. The others stiffened, fear creeping into their eyes, but she waved a reassuring hand at them. "Don't worry, it doesn't make any difference to me whether or not she fell in love with a gargoyle. The point is she loved him a great deal, and right now she's having a hard time trying to cope with that loss. She blames herself for his death, and it's going to be a long and difficult road for her to travel until she can accept the fact that there was nothing more she could have done. Until then, what she needs most is your patience and understanding. The doctor has us keeping a close eye on her day and night, and we're going to do our best to encourage her to let you in to visit."

There was a collective sigh of frustration, but Angela stared at the nurse, tears welling up in her large dark eyes. "Why would she blame herself?"

"Because she should have been the one to die that night instead of him," a slightly accented voice answered, and Derek growled as he turned to see Demona walking up to join the group.

"Shut up!" he shouted at her angrily, taking a menacing step forward.

Demona held her ground and simply looked at the bristling mutate with a tired calmness. "I'm not making any accusations, simply stating the facts."

"The facts? Here's a fact…maybe you shouldn't have even been there. Maybe they would have both been alive if you hadn't been there to distract them!"

Mother and daughter's eyes flared blood red and this time it was Angela who stepped forward. "Take that back Derek!"

"They would have all been killed and Canmore would have escaped if I hadn't been there!" Demona snarled.

"Whoa, whoa, let's all just calm down here," the nurse called out as she tried to wedge herself in between the two parties.

"Angela how can you take her side after everything she's done to Elisa?" Peter shouted joining the growing argument.

"Why can't you people see she's changing?" Angela yelled in despair.

The argument grew in volume and intensity until the door to the infirmary opened slowly and a hoarse "Enough!" broke through the brewing fight.

Every one spun around and stared at Elisa who was clinging to her portable IV stand like a lifeline. Sweat was plastering her dark hair to her head, she was visibly trembling, and the nurse rushed to catch her as she nearly collapsed.

"Elisa! Damnit girl, what are you doing out of bed? The Doc'll keep you sedated if he finds out about this," she exclaimed with a dark look towards the others.

Elisa slowly turned her bandaged head towards her family, and her panted statement made them bow their heads in shame. "This….is exactly why I don't want to see….any of you right now," she rasped out angrily. "And…no one…is to ….blame Demona for what happened," the injured detective added obstinately.

Then her strength failed her completely, and the nurse was forced to lower her gently to the floor under the dead weight. Derek stepped forward to help, but he hesitated when Elisa called for Angela. The young woman pushed past Derek, and crouched down next to where the nurse was trying to support Elisa.

"We need to get her back to bed quickly before the doctor shows up," the nurse told Angela quietly. The gargoyle nodded and then gently slipped her arms under Elisa's body and lifted her. Elisa hissed once in pain, the noise echoing like a gunshot in the now silent hallway, and then Angela was following the nurse inside with her precious burden.

As the door swung shut, the Maza family glanced uneasily over at Demona. Derek continued to glare at the immortal but made no further comments. "Fools," she spat at them. Then she turned and stomped away, swearing steadily under her breath.

"Damnit Derek, you're always shooting your mouth off like that and now look!" Beth snapped irritably.

"What did you expect me to do? Be happy about what she said?" he shot back.

"That's is enough!" Diane said firmly, cutting off both siblings. "None of this is helping matters, it's only going to make them worse. None of us has gotten much sleep these past few days, and we're focusing what little energy we have on arguing with each other. Elisa's awake and right now that's all that matters. I'm going to get a decent meal, and then sleep."

With that, the Maza matriarch turned and left, leaving the remaining three family members staring after her. Peter finally sighed. "She's right. We're not doing Elisa any good by standing out here picking fights and arguing. I'll see you kids in the morning."

Derek and Beth mumbled goodnights, but continued to eye each other for a minute longer in typical sibling fashion before walking away in opposite directions muttering unpleasant comments about the other.

(space)

Angela gently lay Elisa down on the bed, and brushed back some of her sweat drenched raven hair. Elisa's breathing had gone from panting, to harsh sobs of pain. "I'm sorry we woke you Elisa," Angela told her, tears leaking down her own face as she watched her best friend and mentor suffer in a way she couldn't possibly understand.

The nurse checked Elisa over carefully and then sighed heavily. "Damn…I was hoping to keep this little adventure of yours under wraps but the doc is gonna have to take a look at you. You are in no condition to be moving around detective," she scolded gently as she moved over to the cabinets and began gathering supplies.

Angela watched as the human came back over with a syringe, and gently pushed up Elisa's sleeve. "No…please no…" Elisa begged as she felt the pinprick on her flesh.

"Elisa, the morphine isn't going to cut it in another few more minutes. You've pulled the stitches in your leg, and your bandages around your head are beginning to soak through again. You're risking your own recovery by pushing too hard too quickly."

"Doesn't matter…at this point…"

"Don't say that!" Angela gasped, anger creeping into her voice. The nurse gave a stern shake of her head, and Angela forced herself to calm down.

"I'm sorry Elisa, but your injuries need time to begin healing," Annabelle informed her regretfully. "If I let the doc do this he'll keep you down for days, I'm only giving you enough to keep you out for a little while."

"The dreams….no….no more dreams….." Elisa cried, tears and blood leaking out from under the bandages.

Angela swallowed around the huge lump that had formed in her throat and she glanced over at the nurse, a look of dismay crossing her beautiful features. The woman sighed sympathetically. "She has bad dreams while under the drugs...probably of what happened that night. But I can't risk letting her remain awake. Doctor Majors is already going to have a fit when he finds out she has been awake most of the day and then she pulled this little stunt."

"Elisa, I'll stay with you," Angela told her quietly. "I'll stay and help keep the dreams away," she promised as she began stroking her talons through her friend's hair.

Elisa began to quiet down after a minute, both the drugs and Angela's presence calming her some. Another few minutes passed with Angela whispering words of reassurance to Elisa before her breathing finally evened out. Angela thought the suffering woman was finally unconscious, but Elisa's hand slowly moved over to weakly grip her own. Her mouth moved slightly, and Angela had to lean forward to hear the barely whispered words.

"…sorry…..I'm sorry……didn't protect….failed…..'m so sorry….." and then her words faded away as she once again succumbed to the pull of the drugs.

Angela felt tears trickle down her face as she continued stroking Elisa's hair. Annabelle came over with a tray and looked at the younger woman. "I have to redress her head sweetie, but it isn't pretty," she warned somberly.

"I'm not going to leave her," Angela said bravely as she nodded for the nurse to continue. Annable smiled encouragingly at her then began to deftly remove the bandages. It took every ounce of control Angela possessed to not look away, but she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips. Annabelle had been right- the injuries were horrifying.

"Th-the doctor says she will have little scarring?" she whispered in disbelief.

The nurse nodded as she dabbed at the oozing wounds and applied a fresh coat of antiseptic ointment before she placed a fresh set of bandages over the injured eye and began re-wrapping her face and head. "I know it looks pretty bad right now, but she'll heal nicely as long as she gives her body the time and rest it needs. Now I'm going to go and get Dr. Majors because her leg is going to need re-stitching and he'll need to re-examine her to make sure she didn't do any serious damage moving around so soon. I'll be back in a few minutes, but if something happens just hit the panic button right there on the wall ok?"

"If you see my mother can you tell her I'm going to stay here tonight?"

"If I can't find her I'll make sure she gets the message."

/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o

**Police Headquarters**

**Manhattan**

**Late evening**

The Chief looked up as the small group of gargoyles were escorted into his office and he stood to greet them as he would any visitor. It took some effort, but he managed to shake the crimson gargoyle's hand without flinching, and was mildly surprised when his hand rested back at his side unscathed. Mentally shaking himself, he forced his tired mind to take stock of the group.

"Brooklyn is it?"

"Yes sir. Thank you for being able to push this meeting back a couple of days. I'd like to introduce to you our Clan Elder Hudson, and these are my rookery brothers Lexington and Broadway. And that's Bronx," he said as the dog-like beast perked up at the mention of his name.

"The young woman that was with you the other night…" he began, noticing her absence.

"Goliath was her father," Brooklyn said quietly.

"Oh," the Chief said nodding in understanding. He looked the weary group over and sighed. "Before we get down to business I just want to say that I'm sorry for your loss. I know it sounds canned, but I've been hearing a great deal these past few days about Goliath from a surprising number of my men and women…and well I regret not being able to meet him. From what Captain Chavez and Detective Bluestone have told me, you guys have been through a lot since your arrival here in Manhattan…and now to lose your leader.." the Chief broke off shaking his head, seeing the sadness and pain in their eyes. In that moment he truly realized that they were as sentient and caring as any human being.

He gestured for them to sit, as he did so and once they were all comfortable he focused on Brooklyn. "Brooklyn I am to understand that you are the leader of this clan now?"

"Yes sir."

"Well as you can imagine I have quite a dilemma on my hands right now. Vigilantism is not something we condone. While it has come to my attention over the past couple of days that your clan is the reason why crime has fallen so drastically over the past few years, I cannot just sit back and knowingly allow you to continue with your nightly patrols. I have turned a blind eye to your activities far too long."

The group tensed and Brooklyn shifted uneasily. "As Hudson would tell you Chief, protecting is in our very nature- as much as breathing is. Telling us that we can no longer help protect this city is like signing a death sentence for our Clan," Brooklyn told him quietly.

"Well it's a good thing for you that I'm a man who can look past the surface and see the potential and opportunity here," the Chief told him with a reassuring chuckle. "I have been in one meeting after another with the Commissioner, the Mayor, the Governor, and too many other politicians to keep track of. Here's the bottom line. I am asking you and your Clan to suspend all nightly patrols of Manhattan and any of our neighboring boroughs, until such time that the legal paperwork is processed for all members of your Clan to be enrolled as official affiliates with the NYPD."

Stunned silence met his words and he allowed himself a smug grin. Broadway found his tongue first. "You- you mean we'll be real officers? With badges and everything?"

"For the time being you will be civilian aides to the police department," the Chief answered. "However once you have been granted legal citizenship, you will all be eligible to go through the normal hiring procedures if you so wish."

The next stretch of silence was finally broken by Lex's excited yelp. "Awesome!" he laughed looking over at his brothers. "We're finally gonna be citizens!"

Brooklyn snorted, shaking his head in disbelief and the Chief watched as he gave Hudson a sad smile. "It's everything Goliath has been fighting for all these years. He never gave up hope…and now it's finally starting to happen," he said softly, his voice rough with emotion.

"I'm sure you're aware that there is a lot of red tape I'm trying to cut through to make this happen. But I'm not the only one who is pushing to get this through. You guys have helped a lot of people over the years….some of them very powerful and very influential. That's why I am asking, instead of ordering you to halt your patrols for the time being. I promise it will only be for a short while, and it will give you all the time you're going to need to heal and recover from the losses you have suffered."

"Aye, 'twould be wise for all of us to take some time off tae grieve properly," Hudson admitted knowingly. "But this request….are ye asking us to be confined to our home?"

There was a heavy sigh. "I won't say you can't leave your home….but I would like to strongly urge you to stay out of the public's eye as much as possible over the next few weeks. If you happen upon a crime in progress…well there's no law against being a good Samaritan. But please don't be out there looking for trouble."

"I think we can manage that for a little while," Brooklyn nodded. He was still in shock over what he had just heard, and couldn't stop the next question that sprang from his mouth.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, looking the gift horse in the mouth.

The Chief's lips quirked upwards. "Because the numbers tell me I should. Sure elections are coming up, and this will make for an interesting race, but my primary duty is to the citizens of this city. Their safety, and the safety of every person that comes to visit this city rise above every other petty thing that people fight and criticize about. Your clan has helped to make this city as safe as it has ever been in over five decades. You guys help make any politician look good," he smiled. Then the smile grew a little more genuine. "Besides you have earned it, and I believe this is long overdue in coming."

Brooklyn stood and walked over to stand in front of him. The look of genuine gratitude in his eyes as he held out his hand had made every headache over the last couple of days worth it. "Thank you Chief. You have no idea what this truly means to us."

"Don't thank me yet Brooklyn," the Chief chuckled, clasping hands with the gargoyle once more, this time without any hesitation. "Wait until you have to start signing a thousand papers and _then_ see if you'll be thanking me."

Brooklyn chuckled. "Everyone of us would be willing to sign them in blood if it truly means the beginning of a truce between our races."

"It's gonna be more than a truce Brooklyn. We plan on making it a damn alliance," the Chief told him determinedly.

/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/o/oo/o/o/oo/oo

**December 28**

**Wayne Manor**

**Midday**

Leslie came down the stairs, not surprised to see Barbara and Helena where she'd last seen them the previous night. Both women were still healing and really needed more rest than they were allowing themselves. Helena was still suffering headaches and dizziness, which indicated that her concussion had been more severe than the young woman was letting on to. Since she had refused to let either herself or Barbara look over her injuries, Leslie could only image what other injuries here meta healing was trying to repair.

Knowing she was about to have a fight on her hands however, the older woman had brought reinforcements. Dick, Tim, Reese and Alfred all accompanied her as she moved up next to the three sleeping woman and gently woke Helena and Barbara.

"Alright you two, up to bed with you."

"Nu-uh," Helena mumbled sleepily as she tried to stretch out a kink in her neck from where it had been resting awkwardly on a nearby console.

"No arguing," Reese chuckled as he reached down to pull her up. "The kid's gonna be fine and the next watch is here to make sure she stays that way."

"Besides, you two look like hell and if I were Dinah I would probably be scared back into a coma if I woke up and the first thing I saw was you," Dick added bluntly.

Barbara and Helena glared at him. "Did anyone ever tell you your bedside manner sucks?" Helena grumbled.

"And yours is any better right now, sunshine?" he shot back sweetly.

"Not to mention Young Master Drake here has been rapidly running out of excuses to dodge helping me with chores around the Manor," Alfred put in, a teasing smile on his face as the young man reddened.

"See Alfred has a much better bedside manner. After living with him so long I can't believe you never picked up on it," Barbara told her lover with a massive yawn.

"Which is exactly why he and Tim should be keeping Dinah company right now instead of you. But if you let me take you upstairs I promise to shut up," he said with a boyish grin at Dinah.

"I'll take you upstairs myself if it means shutting him up," Helena spoke up as she stood up quickly and then reeled slightly as the room spun a bit.

"Easy there tiger," Reese said as he shot Leslie a concerned glance.

"Scanner. Now." Leslie ordered firmly, as she watched Helena's eyes roll back for a second as she nearly lost consciousness.

It was a tone that not even her father had been able to compete with in the past, and she meekly obeyed as Dick wheeled Barbara away. Tim and Alfred settled down next to Dinah and Tim pulled out a deck of cards to pass the time. Reese stayed next to her as she shuffled over to the table and made herself comfortable on the cushioned surface.

Moments later, her breathing evened out once more in sleep and Reese stared at her amazed. "Wow, that was fast," he commented to Leslie as she walked up and sighed.

"She's fighting her meta healing. Normally she would be asleep for a couple of days solid, after the injuries she received. Her body will heal quickly, but it takes a tremendous amount of energy to do that. I'm worried that she might suffer permanent damage if she doesn't allow her body to heal properly. Now let's see what's going on inside."

Reese stepped back as the older woman slid the table along its track into a large machine that looked similar to a CAT scanner. She shut the door, and moved over to a console where she typed in several commands and then hit the ENTER button. The large machine hummed to life, and Reese sat in a nearby chair as he watched a light rotate around inside the chamber, making several passes over Helena's body. After about five minutes, the lights shut off and the machine quieted.

"That's it?"

"Perks of owning your own billion dollar company," Leslie merely chuckled as she walked over to slide Helena back out while the computer processed the data. A couple of minutes later, there was a soft chime and Leslie began scrutinizing the readings. Her frown turned into a scowl and her pursed lips finally grumbled an oath.

"What?" Reese asked worriedly.

"Damn girl is as stubborn as her father," Leslie muttered darkly. "She's a mess and I'm amazed she's been able to walk let alone go off on her father like she did yesterday. She's got two healing ribs, that concussion isn't much better, and she has some bruises that are a bit more than bruises."

"Anything life threatening?"

"No, but if she doesn't rest, they will get worse, and then they could become life threatening. So, I'm going to do what I usually have to do to keep her down long enough to heal when she's in a mood like this," Leslie said as she uncapped a prepared syringe and plunged it into Helena's arm. The young woman didn't even stir.

"Sedating her?" Reese chuckled as he raised an eyebrow. There had been a couple of times he would have liked to have done the same thing to her. Maybe he could talk Leslie out of a couple of those syringes.

"I've learned a great deal over the years treating super-heroes," Leslie chuckled as she pulled an IV bag out of a drawer and began to prepare Helena's arm for the line. "The first is that they're always hurt worse than they let on. The second is that they'll last far longer than humanly possible before they actually collapse and when they do, it's a very, very bad thing. The third is that they'll never let you touch them when they need it the most, so always carry a back-up. Knock-em out and keep 'em that way until they're completely healed."

Reese laughed, and shook his head. "Sounds about right. How long are you going to keep her down for?"

Leslie finished the IV line, opened the stopper on the bag and watched as the fluids began to drip steadily into the tube. "Two days at least. I need to touch base with New Gotham General, because there are two of our friends recovering there that could use some attention from me. Now that Dinah's awake and recovering, Helena's out for a couple of days, and I have Dick to keep Barbara in bed, I need to get caught up on my other work."

"Tell me about it," Reese sighed. "I've got a mound of paperwork waiting for me back at the station, and there's a lot of questions that need to be answered."

"Sounds like it's a good time for you to get some stuff taken care of as well then detective. Besides, she's not going to wake up for quite some time and Alfred will be here to make sure that she stays put."

"I should at least make an appearance," Reese said. "My partner is about ready to go postal, and I'm sure he could use a hand with all the paperwork he's been trying to handle with the Clock Tower incident."

"Just remember to get some sleep yourself detective," Leslie admonished as she gather up a few things into an old fashioned medical bag and closed it.

"You too Doc, I think you've been up more than most of us."

"Trust me, I 'm going to sleep good tonight."

/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/oo/o

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**Evening**

Angela walked quietly along the corridors with her mother when she suddenly turned to push through the massive doors that led into the library. She stood in the large room, drinking in the rich scents and the peace that this room had always brought her. "This was his favorite room," she told her mother quietly, her voice catching slightly.

Demona glanced around the room, the barest hint of a smile quirking her lips up. "The library had always been his favorite. There were only four of us in the Clan that could read, but he and I were the only two who actually enjoyed it. When we were young, we used to steal away to the rafters in the old library, to read the various scrolls that were collecting dust. The humans didn't like that we could read- especially at so young an age- and more than once we received rookery duty for having been caught by the humans in the library."

The crimson haired gargoyle looked around at the wealth of knowledge and entertainment before her. "Of course we weren't always there to read," she admitted with a small genuine chuckle. And then she remembered herself and it died instantly as she began to scowl.

"Do you miss him?" Angela asked softly after a minute.

Complete silence met her statement, and Angela looked over to see her mother gazing at nothing, a sad and distant look in her eyes. "I lost your father a long time ago Angela," she said finally, visibly shaking herself from her reverie. "For a time, I thought I had regained him, but then it became clear to me that we were far too different, and his interests lay…elsewhere." It took a great deal of will power to not say that statement with any malice in her voice, but she managed admirably.

"What did you mean last night…in the hallway."

Demona sighed. "Let it go daughter," she requested.

But Angela was not so easily deterred. She moved until she was facing her mother, and forced the older gargess to meet her gaze. "No mother. I stood up to Elisa's family for you. I think I've earned the right to know what you meant."

"Angela are you ready to hear everything that happened the other night?"

"I need to know mother," Angela pleaded, tears forming in her eyes. "I need to know why Elisa….why Elisa doesn't care if she lives or dies. Why she blames herself for fathers death."

Demona regarded the girl hesitantly, unsure if she should tell her so soon of the events that had transpired. But last night had seemed to bolster the girl's strength back up. Sitting with Elisa, when the detective would see no others, had given her some sense of stability back into her life. Of course it irked Demona to no end that even half dead the human could have so much influence over the girl, and that she Angela cared so much for her well-being, but at least she wasn't wandering aimlessly around the castle weeping uncontrollably. When she awoke this evening, she had not burst into a fit of tears as she had every other night since Goliath's death. And just a few short moments ago she had found the strength to actually confront her.

Waving the young woman over to a large couch, Demona wrapped a wing around her as she told her daughter everything that had transpired once she had joined the battle. She only held back some of the more gruesome details of Goliath's injuries, knowing that the girl didn't need any further explanation in that respect.

She finished the retelling of those horrible events nearly an hour later, and when silence finally settled over the room once more, Demona found the whole experience strangely cathartic. A weight seemed to lift a bit from her shoulders, and as she glanced over at her daughter, she was surprised to see Angela in deep thought for a while.

"Elisa was going to sacrifice herself…first for father and then for you," she whispered, amazed by her human friend's self-sacrificing spirit. "That's what you meant when you told Derek that she should have been the one to die."

Demona's wings lifted in a slight shrug. She had been trying to avoid thinking to deeply upon the fact that Elisa had taken the bullets meant for her. "In her mind, she was ready to die…she should have died. She fought with everything she had, to see to it that she was the only one who went down with the Hunter. But your father couldn't stand by and let her do that."

"But…you stopped her from killing the Hunter," Angela continued her brow furrowed. "Why?"

This time Demona had no answer, and there was a fleeting moment of panic that raced across her features. Angela rested a taloned hand on her own, and the immortal was slow to meet the girl's gaze. "It's okay," she whispered softly, her large brown eyes filled with so much love and acceptance. It was something Demona had not been shown or felt in a long time, and it broke off another large chunk of stone around her heart.

"No matter why you did it….thank you," Angela whispered as she hugged her mother, fiercely. All the older gargoyle could do was hug her back, emotions closing her throat and misting her eyes. Suddenly the castle walls seem to close in on her and she slowly extricated herself from her daughter.

"I have some business that I have been putting off," she told Angela as she pushed herself to her feet, her mind reeling. "If you will be well on your own for just this one evening I should go home to take care of it."

Angela nodded. "I'll be fine now mother. I'm sorry I've kept you here so long."

Demona reached out and rubbed her knuckles along Angela's brow. "Nonsense child. I just need to take care of some things and then I will be free to stay with you for as long as you need."

"Go. I'll be okay," Angela reassured her.

With a grateful hug, the older gargess managed to leave the room at a respectable speed and walked casually down the corridors. Outside however, she raced across the courtyard and threw herself off the wall as she sped as quickly as possible away from the source of her inner turmoil.

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**January 2nd**

**Wayne Manor**

**New Gotham**

Helena knocked on the slightly ajar door and peered into her father's plush office. He was sitting behind his massive cherry wood desk, a blazing fire keeping the winter chill at bay. His eyes glanced over in her direction and he nodded when she entered hesitantly at first. They hadn't hardly spoken since their hours long talk in the training room a almost a week ago.

But she wasn't about to ruin her reputation, so the confidence kicked in and her back straightened as she swaggered into the room and slid into one of the expensive chairs and settled her feet on his desk. "You beckoned?" she asked casually, trying not to smirk too much as he glared at the booted feet on his expensive furniture.

Bruce curbed his strong desire to make a digging remark about her irritating habits, realizing that was exactly what she wanted. She didn't realize that he had practiced playing this game for years with her mother. So after a moment of studying her challenging features, he leaned back in his own chair and mirrored her actions. He almost allowed himself a smile when he saw the slight flash of disappointment in her eyes. It was quickly followed with an almost predatory look.

Let the games begin, he thought to himself wryly.

"We haven't talked in a few days and I was just wondering how you were doing?" he began with a shrug.

Her eyebrow crept into her hairline. "What Alfred or one of the others couldn't tell you?"

Long years of practice kept his face blank and his eyes unreadable. "Actually, most of them say very little to me right now."

She gave him a mock pout. "Poor Bruce," she sighed dramatically "Not used to not getting the red carpet treatment while you're at home are you?"

"And I thought we were beyond this Helena," he said flatly.

"Let's just get something straight here," she told him as her feet dropped to the floor and she leaned towards him, her eyes glinting gold in the firelight. "You seriously hurt those people, and from what I understand you have YET to say sorry to them. Sure we had our little chat the other night, but all that means jack to me until you apologize to them for what you did."

"Fine, I'll take care of that before I leave, but first we have some business to discuss," he said bluntly as he too placed his feet on the floor and sat back up.

"Whoa, wait a minute here," she said pushing her chair back as she stood. "Don't tell me you're gonna do the disappearing act again?" she shouted.

"Helena sit down," he told her calmly.

"No!" she told him defiantly, her voice raising as her eyes grew more feral with her emotions. "Are you going to ditch us again?"

"Helena sit down and I will be happy to discuss with you what's going on," he ordered in a steel tone that had normal people quaking instantly. She didn't wither in fear, but at least she calmed down enough to obey- even if it did include glowering – and to his slight surprise, some growling -in his direction.

"I've been gone too long Helena," he explained. "There's nothing left for me to do here, and everyone has made it quite clear that they can get along just fine without me. Old Gotham was mine to protect, New Gotham is your legacy now. I'm not going to disappear like I did last time, but I can't stay here. I think you can understand why."

She stared at him, unsure of what to say as he stood to pace in front of the fire. "You have yet to touch any of your inheritance, and that's your choice. But Wayne Industries cannot continue to function for much longer without someone to take control. I want you to take the reins Helena."

"Wh-what?" she breathed shocked.

"I know you aren't ready by any means to handle what I'm asking of you. And I wouldn't expect you to jump into things with out guidance first. Dick is more than capable of showing you the ropes, and I can trust him to help you manage the corporation until your ready to do it on your own. I have also spoken with a former business acquaintance of mine- someone I respect and I believe I can trust- and he and his wife said they would be willing to help out as well.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Helena, everything in this house and what lies beneath it, is my life. I haven't been there to give you anything, and now this is all I can offer you. I'm handing you the key to everything that I was…everything that I am… to do as you see fit with it."

Silence encompassed the room, save the soft crackling of the fire, and Helena stared blankly at the floor in complete and utter shock. Bruce allowed her time to comprehend what he was offering, seeing the wheels finally turning in her head. Finally she shook it, and lifted her gaze. "I have to think about this," was all she said as she stood and began to exit the room. "In the meantime you need to make a few apologies, or there will be no deal" she told him firmly before she slipped out.

Bruce sighed, and brooded for the next hour until Alfred quietly approached him with some coffee. Bruce gratefully accepted the caffeine. "Alfred," he said quietly, halting the aging butler before he could retreat from the room.

"Yes Master Bruce?" he asked politely.

"Sit down for a minute…please," he added.

Alfred sat, and waited, his normally warm features guarded. "Alfred….I'm sorry," he forced himself to say. He winced at how uncaring it sounded and he sighed in frustration at himself. "Damnit, I'm not any good at this," he muttered.

There was a moment's pause and then he heard the older man shift slightly. "Then perhaps it is a good thing you're practicing on me first instead of Miss Barbara or Master Dick."

Bruce lifted his eyes to see his life long friend give him a patient smile- the first smile he had been bestowed with since his arrival. He sighed in relief, and the rest just came out naturally. "You've always been there for me old friend, but this time…."

"I understood more than they did sir. You were re-living what had happened with your parents…an event you had strived so hard to keep from re-occurring. But did you really think so little of us- of me- that you couldn't even tell me of your whereabouts? Surely you knew I would have kept it a secret if you wished it. You have been like a son to me Master Bruce, and it pained me to not know how you fared."

Bruce sighed heavily as he hung his head and closed his tired eyes. Alfred was right…he shared a closer bond with the older man than he even had with Dick. He had had no right to shut out so completely the man that had been there for him through every thing.

"I'm sorry Alfred…I never meant to hurt you…to hurt anyone."

"I know" Alfred sighed. But after a moment of silence he straightened and his tone lightened into his normal pleasant tenor. "Now go straighten things out with Master Dick and Miss Barbara so that we can put all this unpleasantness behind us."

"You sound like you've been talking with my daughter."

"Miss Helena is a very vocal person- whether one wants to hear or not."

Bruce chuckled as the butler stood and took his leave so his employer could begin his search for his two former protégé's.


	30. Laying Bare

A/N: Thanks to P.A. for your questions about the last chapter which prompted me to realize an entire section had been dropped. Hello to midnite, shall-iin, Pookie and my sissstttaaahhhh and thanx for reading and review my story. Keep the insight coming guys and gals cause it helps to keep me on track with a big story like this.

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**January 2nd **

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**Early afternoon**

Elisa Maza jerked herself awake from the horrific nightmares, her breath coming in harsh sobbing pants, as she blindly fumbled with the sheets that were twisted around her body once again. Several minutes later she was unwrapped enough from the sheet so that she could carefully sit up and grope around for the glass of water next to her bed. Her hand knocked the glass over and in a fit of frustration and anger she grabbed the glass up and hurled it across the room, listening with a small sense of satisfaction as it shattered into a thousand tiny pieces against the stone wall.

That, of course, brought Annabelle rushing in moments later. "Elisa? Is everything alright?" she asked concerned.

"Everything's just peachy," Elisa muttered sullenly.

"What happened? I thought I heard glass breaking?"

"I had dispute with my water glass."

"Oh." There was silence and then Elisa heard the nurse moving over to clean up the broken glass. "Elisa you should be more careful, you don't want to strain yourself or it might slow your healing process."

"What's slowing my healing process are these damn nightmares and not being able to see!" Elisa shouted angrily. "Everyone keeps telling me to rest, but I all I can do is watch every miserable moment in my life replay itself in the darkness that your confining me too. I'm not glass damnit! I need to get back on my feet. I need to be able to see again!"

Annabelle sighed patiently as she continued cleaning up the fragments. This wasn't the first outburst from Elisa. "Elisa, your injured eye needs to heal-"

"What needs to heal! I'm already blind in that eye so what more can I possibly do to it? Goliath's funeral is in three days, and you guys are telling me I can't even take the bandages off for that!" Elisa ranted. Blood was beginning to pound through her veins, elevating her blood pressure, and the throbbing in her head began to increase ten-fold. "Is there something you guys aren't telling me? Am I blind in both eyes? Or was the damage to my face worse than you're saying?" she asked, a small vice of fear tightening across her chest.

"Elisa your right eye was unaffected by the injuries to the left side of your face," Annabelle assured as she dumped the glass into the trash and moved to sit on the plush bed Elisa was now resting in. "You've just suffered several devastating losses sweetie. Your injuries are severe Elisa, but they will heal up nicely with a little more time. Part of the reason the doc wanted to keep your eyes bandaged is so that the swelling and bruising has a chance to lessen."

"When?" Elisa demanded.

"The doc says by next week it should be okay."

Elisa's jaw tightened. "Whatever."

Annabelle looked sadly at the injured detective. Years of experience helped her to see the root of Elisa's angry outbursts at nearly everyone that dared to enter her room. The others knew it as well, but it was getting harder and harder for them to cope with her bitterness in the face of their own losses. The only one that seemed to break through Elisa's self-loathing was Angela, and Annabelle was thankful that the girl made it a point of visiting the detective every night for at least a couple of hours.

Elisa had been silent for a couple of minutes, so Annabelle stood. "I'll fetch you another glass of water and will be just down the hall if you need anything."

"I'm not made of glass," Elisa ground out again.

"No, but you are flesh and blood just like the rest of us," Annabelle reminded her as she moved out of the room. Two minutes later she came back in and set a fresh water glass on the table next to Elisa's bed, knowing the detective would resent it if she placed it in her hands. "It's nearing sunset, shall I send Ms. Angela in once she awakens?"

The detective had gone from tense anger to hopeless defeat in the small time Annabelle had been gone. While the grieving process entailed a wide range of mood swings, the rapid succession, and severity Elisa displayed was a cause for alarm to the medical staff. After much discussion with the Clan and her family, it had been revealed that Elisa had been emotionally worn thin over the last couple of years, and this blow could quite possibly be the breaking point for her if they were not careful.

"I don't want any visitors tonight," she answered dismally.

Annabelle didn't push the issue, knowing the only thing that she'd accomplish would be raising detective's anger once more. So she merely sighed, and left the room, intent on making sure Angela did visit Elisa tonight, but with fair warning of what to expect.

**Later that evening…..**

Angela stood before the door to Elisa's room and reached out hesitantly for the door handle before she withdrew her shaking talon. Closing her eyes, she sank against the wall next to her door and wrapped her wings around herself as she tried to sort through her own boiling emotions. She was slowly coming to grips with the death of her father, and she silently thanked Brooklyn once more for the personal sacrifice she knew he was making by allowing her mother free access to the castle.

But her mother had been somewhat distant the past week, and Angela had not been able to decipher what was troubling her so much. The Clan had all been rather quiet lately, as preparations for her father's funeral continued. But it was something more than that and whenever she tried to ask, her mother would firmly tell her to let it go or that nothing was wrong. Her visits to the castle had become increasingly more brief than the ones during that first week, and Angela had noticed an agitated restlessness in her mother that she had never seen before. Almost as if she was feeling trapped within the castle walls.

Now her best friend, and the woman that she had come to love almost as much as her own parents, was withdrawing more and more from everyone, as she struggled to fight the personal hell she was suffering through. Annabelle had come to her earlier this evening and had spoken to her at length about the medical staff's concerns about Elisa's mental deterioration. Angela was surprised when the kind nurse told her that she was most likely the only one who could get through to Elisa in her current condition.

Now Angela was sitting outside her room, wondering how she all of all people could help. But Elisa had been there for her three years ago, after her mother's betrayal. She alone had told Angela to never give up hope that perhaps someday Demona would come around…that everyone could change if they had the right reasons. Elisa even had the courage to angrily stand up to the rest of the Clan and tell them to back off when their verbal bashing of her mother had driven Angela to tears one night. And she had kept Angela's secret- even covered for her- after she had found out that Angela had been visiting her mother a couple of times a month, because she had begun to see the change in her mother.

Standing, Angela took a deep breath, resolve finally filling her heart. Elisa had not allowed her to let go or give up, and she had been there encouraging her the whole time. Now she would repay the favor that had given her back her mother.

Steeling herself for whatever verbal assault Elisa would undoubtedly unleash on her for being disturbed when she wished to see no one, Angela was unprepared for what awaited her when she did enter Elisa's room.

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**Wayne Manor**

**New Gotham**

When he didn't find Barbara resting in bed, he knew there was only one other place that she would be. Knocking softly on the door to the room Dinah had been given once Leslie felt it was safe to move her, he entered the dark room quietly and found the redhead dozing in her chair next to the sleeping teen. He moved over into a corner of the room, and simply watched the two sleep, his sharp mind taking in so many tiny observations from such a simple act.

Barbara had grown into a beautiful woman- on the inside and out. He had always known she had a good heart, but she had proven to have the heart of a lion. Deep down he had always envied her, even when she was a brash young teen trying to prove herself to him, because she dared to risk it all. She dared to open herself up to others…to feel and to love.

That risk had obviously taken it's toll on her over the years. He could see, even in the dim moonlight as she slumbered, the small weight that seemed to keep her shoulders lowered just a fraction more than they used to be. And, he could also tell from the way she had been avoiding him this past week. She had been hurt one too many times recently.

Scared one too many times as well, judging from the way she'd been hovering so protectively over Dinah since the teen had been brought out of her coma. A soft smile turned up his lips ever so slightly as he watched Barbara unconsciously soothe the girl as she began to grow restless in her sleep. He had never pinned Barbara as the mother type. A good teacher most definitely- with her eidetic memory she paid close attention to even the smallest of details. But she had served as more than just a guardian or mentor to his daughter and now Dinah- she had nurtured and loved both girls as if they had been her own.

She had done a far more admirable job of caring for them, than he had for Dick. Helena had been better off with Barbara, of that he was certain. And perhaps that was one reason why he had not regretted leaving. His daughter had grown into so much more than he could have ever expected or hoped for. There was so much potential in that sharp mind and strong body, that even she could not see yet. But Barbara had seen it- and she still saw it.

He owed so much to her. And yet, of those closest to him affected by his disappearance, she had been hurt worst of all. Helena and Dick were pissed, but Barbara…. His eyes drifted over the chair, and he closed his eyes against the image. She had been struck down in the prime of her life- a life he had helped to shape- and he hadn't been there to help her pick up the pieces.

"I know you're hovering in the dark over there Bruce," Barbara said quietly without opening her eyes, her voice slightly rough from sleep.

He arched an eyebrow and she smirked. "Hel lurks in the dark all the time. I've become attuned to the feeling of being watched, even when I can't see anything."

"How's Dinah?" he asked quietly, not bothering to move from the darkness just yet.

Sleepy eyes finally opened and squinted over at him as Barbara shrugged, and then winced as she moved her broken arm. "Improving. She's still suffering from some pretty wicked migraines, and exhaustion, but Leslie's managed to keep the pain to more tolerable levels. Alfred coaxed her into eating a light sandwich today and she felt better after the solid food."

Bruce nodded. "We're you aware of her potential?" He tried to phrase the question as neutrally as possible, because he knew Barbara was well aware of his past distrust of meta-humans. It was ironic, really, that his own daughter was a meta herself.

There was a soft sigh after a minute - one filled with sadness and regret. "Only just recently. I don't know how much Hel's told you, but Dinah's only been with us for a couple of years, and her powers were just beginning to really strengthen and expand before….before Quinn attacked last year."

There was a great deal of pain behind those words, and he could sense how much it had taken Barbara to force them out. To admit an oversight.

"After the attack. We lost focus, and Dinah began to hone most of her growing powers on her own. It wasn't until she started training with Dick a few weeks ago, that any of us realized just how strong she had been getting…how powerful her gift had become."

"I watched her fight by Helena's side at the dock's the other night. You've done a good job Barbara- with both girls."

She was quiet for a moment, and he watched her stroke Dinah's hair back. "I should have done better," the redhead whispered, castigating herself. "I let things go this past year, and we were just lucky someone wasn't killed. If Dick hadn't been here these past couple of weeks to step up her training-," she broke off the statement unable to finish as s shudder ran through her body.

"He may have taken her to the next level, but the skill and discipline were already there." He stepped forward, coming out of the shadows now, as his blue eyes pierced through the darkness to fix on emerald. "_You_ put those there Barbara. Hel told me about Dinah's past. You took a frightened teenager, who had spent her childhood in an abusive environment, and gave her the confidence to face her destiny head-on."

The redhead looked down at the blonde, tears shimmering in her eyes. "I don't know what I would do if I lost either of them Bruce," she admitted in a bare whisper. "I almost lost them both last week…I almost lost Helena a year ago, and I can't get that fear out of my head."

He rested a hand on her uninjured shoulder, and waited for her to look up at him. "We all have that fear Barbara. Why do you think I was so hard on you and Dick? Why do you think I left?" he asked, his voice even more gravelly than normal.

"Why Bruce?" she asked, the hurt in those green eyes piercing through him. She knew- she was too intelligent to not know. But she needed to hear it from him.

"Because," he said, crouching beside her chair. "I couldn't live with the fact that I had failed you…that I had lost you. Selina had been killed, you had been shot, and it wasn't something I could fix. The nightmare…_my_ nightmare was being repeated all over again. I built my life around preventing this from ever happening again. I spent decades of my life under that mantle, but when it really mattered…when it really counted- I was powerless to stop it."

Barbara's eyes bore into his. There was something more…she could sense it. "I never blamed you Bruce. Not even when I first woke up and found out that I would never walk again. We take risks in this business, and we all accept those risks knowing every night out there might be our last. Or that it might be the last for someone we are fighting beside," she added with quiet regret. She suspected Bruce had never gotten over Jason's death. The suddenly troubled look in her former mentor's eyes confirmed it.

"When I finally found the Joker, I lost control, Barbara," he admitted, so quietly she almost hadn't heard it. But the sharp intake of air confirmed that she had, and he pressed on. "All I could see was the people in my life that he had hurt or killed. All I could think of, was how much he had enjoyed hurting them….of how much he enjoyed hurting me, and for the first time, I almost crossed the line. I beat him so badly, the paramedics almost couldn't revive him. For one split second I wished they couldn't and I had a pure rush of pleasure seeing him like that."

And there it was. Barbara felt like someone had punched her in the gut, because she was unable to draw in a breath for a long time. She had expected his reason for leaving to be remorse over what had happened to her and Selina. Guilt, or some such emotion for not being there to stop the Joker and his men. But not this. She motioned for him to follow her outside the room, knowing she wouldn't be able to keep her emotions in check for much longer.

Bruce followed her back down the hall to her room, which was still thankfully empty, and sat in a chair across from where she parked herself. He hadn't been prepared for the right hook that caught him neatly across the jaw and sent him sprawling to the floor, rather ungracefully. Looking up slightly dazed, he was not surprised to see a fire burning in her eyes that nearly matched her hair.

"All these years I thought it was because you felt bad for what happened to us. _That_ I could have accepted. But this! You left because you almost crossed the line and killed the man that both started and nearly finished your life as Batman? Christ, Helena was right about you! Your so full of yourself, and so above everyone else that you really do think your invulnerable. Well welcome to the real world Bruce- we're all human and we all have our moments when we actually enjoy hurting the people that have hurt us for so long."

Bruce rose to his feet, anger flashing in his eyes. "Did you not hear what I just said back there? I will never forgive myself for what he did to you…for what he's done to my family. It wasn't just about one thing Barbara. I lost control of everything- including myself. Damnit it Babs you of all people should know what that cost me! I rode a fine line between being Batman and sinking into something far darker. That night, as they took the Joker away, I came this close to becoming just….like…him…" he told her coldly.

"You could never become like that Bruce," she whispered back at him, her throat suddenly dry as she saw something in his eyes that she had never seen before.

He shook his head slowly, reigning in the dark beast that had suddenly swelled up before her, giving her a glimpse into just how close he truly had become to losing it that night. "I can, and I almost did Barbara. He had already broken me. Had I come home that night to face what he had done to you and Selina, I would have descended into the same dark madness that drives him to kill. Can you honestly say that if that had happened, you would have sat by and let someone else deal with me?"

Barbara looked away, tears in her eyes. It had been an unspoken pact between Bruce, Dick, and herself. "You know I wouldn't…and neither would Dick."

He was crouching in front of her again, earnest blue eyes searching her out. "That's what kept me from returning Barbara. The Joker may have taken your legs, but I wasn't about to take your soul."

"Damnit Bruce we needed you," she told him vehemently as she slammed her hands on the sides of her wheelchair hard enough to make him wince. "We needed you then more than ever."

She knew there was nothing that could be done about the past anymore. And as much as she hated to admit it, it had probably been the wisest thing for him to leave. If he had truly gone off the deep end, she doubted she could have handled the emotional fallout from being newly paralyzed and having to hunt down and stop her former friend and mentor.

Still, it felt good to finally say those words. To finally be able to freely admit just how alone and scared she had felt those first few months.

He bowed his graying head, and sighed heavily. "And for that I will never forgive myself Barbara. I don't expect you to forgive me for what I did, but I wanted you to know that I'm sorry. And that…I'm proud of you. I always knew you were far braver than me Babs. That's why I can live with the fact that Helena had you to raise her after Selina was killed." His eyes lifted to convey the truth behind such a rare admission.

"Then you don't regret that I introduced Helena to the world that has taken so much from us?" It was a question that had been haunting her for years.

He smiled at her slightly. "Given her heritage, it was inevitable. Those girls trust you with their lives Barbara…so do I," he told her firmly as he stood. "This new generation of crime-fighters is going to give the crime world a run for its money," he added with an amused look. "You've made one hell of a mentor Babs."

Her lips quirked upwards slightly. "I had a good teacher."

"Get some rest," Bruce said as he squeezed the hand that had rested on top of his for a second. He moved to leave, but she spoke his name quietly just as he reached the door. He glanced back.

"Breakfast tomorrow?"

He nodded. "I'd like that. There's more we need to talk about." And then he left her to ponder that statement as he set out to locate Dick.

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**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

"Elisa?" Angela asked hesitantly, seeing bloody bandages strewn about the floor in front of the large mirror that had once decorated the room in one corner. The reflective surface now lay in fragments on the floor, a bloody handprint smearing the wooden frame and then tracking along the walls and furniture towards the bathroom.

Running water could be heard from inside, and Angela called out Elisa's name once more, fear creeping into her voice. There was no response, and the young woman crept towards the bathroom, a sick feeling slowly beginning to build in her stomach. She pushed the door open, eyes scanning the room furtively for her friend.

To her immediate relief, Elisa was immersed in a large bathtub. But that relief was short-lived when Angela took in Elisa's current state. Her face was completely uncovered, the horrific wounds unprotected and oozing. One arm was draped over the edge of the tub, loosely clutching a bottle of alcohol, as blood slowly pooled beneath it from her fresh injuries.

Angela rushed forward, and crouched next to Elisa. "Elisa?" she gasped, shocked by what she was seeing.

"I'm not in the best mood right now Angela," Elisa mumbled as she hefted the bottle to take another sip. The alcohol buzz combined with the pain killers she had been on, had long since killed any physical or emotion pain she had been feeling when she had first entered the tub. All she really wanted now, was to drink herself into oblivion and not dream for one night.

That action was halted however when Angela reached out and snatched the bottle away with a distressed rumble from her chest. "Elisa you shouldn't be drinking in your condition! How did you get this?"

"'Mazin' what one can find after a little exploring."

"Elisa...what happened?"

Her friend cracked her good eye open slightly, squinting against the faint light. An unpleasant chuckle bubbled up from her chest. "You're joking right?"

Angela faltered for a minute, unsure of what to say. The nurse had informed her of Elisa's numerous requests to remove the bandages, and explained why they had wanted to wait. Elisa had obviously taken matters into her own hands tonight however, and was not taking what she saw very well.

Elisa didn't give her a chance to answer however. She sat up in her bath suddenly, flipped off the faucet as water sloshed all over and fixed Angela with as good as a glare as she could manage. "How could all of you sit there and lie to me!" she demanded.

Angela's eyes flared suddenly. "I didn't lie to you Elisa. Yes the injuries are bad, but the doctors and nurses say that you _will_ heal. They were frank about the extent of you injuries from the beginning and none of us have any reason to mistrust them on anything else they say. How can you even suggest that any of us- that _I_ would lie to you about something like this?"

Elisa stared at her for a long minute. "Look at me Angela. Look me in the eye and tell me that all of this will really heal."

Angela did just that, fully believing it with all her heart. Elisa merely snorted, and shook her head as she sank back down in the tub. "You're as delusional as you father was," she muttered.

_That_ brought Angela to her feet. "What is wrong with you! How can you say something like that?" the girl asked, hurt beyond words.

This seemed to spark Elisa's ire once more because she spun in the tub, fairly quickly given her injuries, and pushed herself to her feet. "What's wrong with me! I'll tell you what's wrong with me! I've spent the last six years of my life, giving everything I've had, everything I am, to help protect you guys. I've willingly put my life, my job, and my heart on the line for this Clan. Now I've lost it all, and yet you all still continue to dwell in this fantasyland that everything will work out and be okay. It won't Angela…it simply won't," Elisa said harshly.

"Your father died the other night, truly believing there could be peace between our races, now that Canmore was dead. But the harsh reality is that there are probably five more like him just ready to take his place, and I have nothing left to give. I'm done Angela. If the Clan wishes to continue in this crazy crusade to unite our races, then so be it. But I can't help you out anymore…the costs," her throat tightened up and she was forced to swallow several times before she spoke the next words. "The costs have been too much for me, and I can't do this any more."

Angela could only stare at Elisa, the words a verbal slap. There was a sudden rush of blood past her ears, and all the air seemed to have been sucked out of the room as she finally comprehended what Elisa was saying. "Y-you…turning your back on the Clan?" she finally stuttered out.

"I can't be responsible for you anymore," Elisa whispered hoarsely.

There was a deafening silence, and then Angela turned and fled, a choked sob echoing in Elisa's ears long after the girl had left. Grimacing, the detective reached down for the forgotten bottle, took a very long drink, and sank back into the soothing waters. As her mind began to aimlessly drift, she idly wondered two things. How long would it take before another of the Clan came barging in? And would she pass out in the tub before that happened, and perhaps save everyone the headache of the fight that was sure to ensue?


	31. Healing Begins

Ok many of you might be wondering why I revised this chapter the way I did. I know the changes aren't that major, however I'm going to be working with a friend who wants to write a story set about a year after Countdown. Countdown is going to be the springboard of sorts for this crossover sequel so I'm going to have to go back and edit a few things to make things fit. Such as the fact that Tim can't be as young as I wrote him earlier in this story. So yes, from now on I'm going to put him back at his rightful age of just a few years older than Helena. So enjoy and I'll be posting my next section soon!

Reba

January 3rd

Wayne Manor

New Gotham

Mid-morning

Barbara rolled up to the table, and gave Bruce and Dick somewhat dark looks. Dick had not come to bed until very early that morning, and had risen only a few hours later, with only a kiss to her forehead before leaving. She'd finally had to call Helena in to help her transfer into her motorized wheelchair so she could use the restroom and struggle pulling on a robe before heading down for breakfast. As Alfred served her coffee and a fresh pastry, she noticed the darkening bruises along both of their faces, and knuckles, and sighed to herself. They had fought last night, and now the tension between them would need a chainsaw in order to cut through it.

"Thank you Alfred," she said quietly, desperate to break the silence that was encompassing the small group. She hated tension at the breakfast table.

"My pleasure Miss Barbara," he replied with a genuine smile and then with his back to the two men he rolled- she almost choked on her coffee- his eyes.

She hid her smile behind the act of wiping her mouth with her napkin, and was only able to keep from laughing at his wink, by tremendous willpower. By the time he had finished fussing over the arrangement of her breakfast, she had managed to compose herself. After he returned to the kitchen, she fixed the two men with pointed looks, and then tucked into her hearty stack of pancakes.

"Hashing things out the old- fashion way again last night?" she asked casually.

Bruce was silent as expected, surprisingly, Dick was as quiet as he was. Barbara arched an eyebrow in her lover's direction, and Dick glowered over at Bruce. "You didn't tell her yet did you?"

"Tell me what?" Barbara asked, setting her fork down as she heard the accusatory tone in Dick's voice. It couldn't be good whatever it was.

"He's planning on taking off again," Dick answered flatly, before Bruce could speak.

"What?" she asked, once more feeling the breath being physically forced from her lungs. "But…why?"

"I am not going to just up and leave everyone again," Bruce answered in that flat tone of his, when he was trying his hardest to control his emotions. "For once," he said, an edge slipping into his voice as he fixed Dick with a glare, "I would like to explain my intentions before everyone's emotions start flying off the handle and people jump to conclusions."

Barbara noticed Dick sitting in his chair and sullenly poking at his breakfast and almost smiled to herself. Ok, so it sounded like Dick had jumped the gun with his statement, and she had always liked to have the facts before she drew her own conclusions. So, she picked up her fork and nodded for Bruce to continue.

"Don't you think I should be present for this breakfast chat?" Helena asked smoothly as she slid into a seat next to Barbara and gratefully accepted the coffee that Alfred set before her.

Bruce shifted slightly in his chair, his only sign of some discomfort, but he cleared his throat and continued. "The League needs to be reformed. If we had failed last week, thousands perhaps millions would be dead by now. It's time all of us stopped hiding from our ghosts and face reality."

Barbara raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. "Kal and Diana disappeared shortly after the JLA disbanded Bruce. They both stopped in the check up on me those first couple of years…." She watched as Bruce flinched slightly, at the reminder that he had abandoned her when she needed him the most. "They made one last visit, and then I never heard or saw from them again."

"I think I know where they've been hiding out, but it looks like I'm going to have to check it out personally since neither has responded to any of my attempts to communicate them."

"Why not just reform with the other old Leaguers and draw from the new crowd? I mean there's a whole new meta generation to draw from," Helena remarked as she nibbled on a pop tart, and watched for her father's reaction to that suggestion.

"That's exactly why I need Superman and Wonder Woman. Out of the remaining League members, I'm the only one really qualified to teach new recruits. I think we can all imagine how that would turn out," he said wryly.

Dick groaned and nodded and Barbara chuckled. "It would probably be best to have metas teaching metas anyway. So aside from trying to reform the League what else did you have planned? Because, I really don't see your life revolving around the League even if you do get it reformed."

Bruce chuckled, and conceded that point. True he did intend to get the League up and running- hopefully in the next year. But once that was done, he would hopefully be able to leave it in someone else's capable hands. "Helena and I talked last night, and I've asked her to assume ownership of Wayne Industries."

Now _that_ certainly caught her off guard. She forced herself to finish the bite she was chewing before clearing her throat. "No offense Hel, but Bruce don't you think that is a little…..overzealous?"

Helena smirked into her coffee, a look that was mirrored by her father. "From what I've heard Barbara, she's a quick study. Besides, I worked too hard to build this empire. I wouldn't just throw her into the sharks and expect her to swim."

"I see and you agreed to this?" Barbara asked turning to her dark haired partner.

Helena merely flashed her father a cryptic smile and shrugged. The redhead looked back at Bruce who was frowning a bit. "She hasn't given me an answer yet," Bruce answered finally.

"And if she doesn't accept?"

"Then Bruce Wayne will have to reappear within the next few months, because Wayne Industries will not survive more than a year without someone at the helm. Several large corporations are gathering themselves to try and takeover my company. There are too many lives, and jobs at stake here to simply let them walk in and take over. Once things have been settled, I will most likely retire and name you and Dick as my top executives before I leave."

"So you do eventually plan on leaving again." It was not an accusation, merely a statement.

"My life here is done with Barbara. Old Gotham was mine to protect, but Batman does not belong here anymore. I came back to face the music as it were, and to try and set things straight this time. Now it's time for me to move on."

"So you're gonna be a baby-sitter for a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears punks now huh?" Helena asked as she began nibbling on a pop-tart Alfred had set next to her.

Bruce's brow creased deeply, almost as if it was a distasteful thought. "I am _not_ going to be a baby-sitter," he responded disgruntled, before he took a sip of his own coffee.

Dick snorted. "I'm glad _I'm_ not going to be a new recruit there now."

That earned him a glare. One that only made him snicker even further. "Looks like you need to brush up on some of those intimidation techniques old man. Good thing it may be a little while before you can get this project off the ground," Helena said brazenly.

This time Barbara couldn't help choking on her beverage. "I'm glad you all find this so amusing," Bruce said flatly.

"Seriously though," Barbara continued after regaining her composure once more. "If you do get the two of them to come back, they're going to have their hands full. You realize your going to have to go against your better nature and actually have a fuller role in mentoring this new bunch?"

"When have they not had their hands full?" Bruce grunted.

Helena perked up sensing more in her father's tone than a simple remark to Barbara's statement. But a sharp look from both Dick and Barbara kept her mouth shut as she relaxed back into her seat.

"There are a lot of kids out there like Helena, Bruce. Those of us who are still active and been around for awhile have recruited some of them over the past few years for small missions here and there to try and keep them on the good side of things. But, there have been a growing number of meta's abusing their powers. I know you dislike mentoring JLA recruits because Kal and Diana don't always see eye to eye with your methods, but they need you as much as you need them."

Bruce, smirked. "The only thing that holds any appeal to me about this, is that it will give me a chance to get under Clark's skin again. No one could get him quite as pissed off as I could."

"Who?" Helena inquired.

There was a pause and then Dick shrugged as the older adults looked at each other. "Superman's alternate identity is Clark Kent."

"The Daily Planet guy? Damn, no wonder I thought he was so hot!" Helena exclaimed. She ignored her father's unhappy grimace at those words, and fixed Barbara with a mock look of hurt. "You knew this all along and didn't tell me?"

"After the time you practically drooled all over him that night he came to visit me to do that interview?"

"He visited you as Clark?" Dick asked puzzled.

"Shortly after I returned to teaching, he stopped by asking to do a story about my recovery."

"I never saw anything," Bruce stated pointedly.

"Because Barbara chickened out at the last minute," Helena interjected. "It was such a good article too- very empowering and all that. He's a fantastic writer," she said with a slightly dreamy expression.

Barbara chuckled at Bruce's disturbed look, and shook her head. "And _that_ is exactly why I never told you who he was. All joking aside though, I think reforming the JLA is an excellent idea."

"Well, I told him I would consider the offer, but I have some personal obligations to take care of first. He and Diana said they understood and would wait to hear from me."

"So basically your waiting on me," Helena said into the silence.

Her father nodded. The brunette, cocked her head to one side. "You really hit me out of left field with this you know."

"Helena if you need more time to decide I'll understand-,"

"But the answer was pretty simple, and no matter what angle I looked at it from, it never changed."

Silence fell across the table as three sets of eyes looked at her expectantly. She took in a deep breath and began slowly. "I will not take over your company…."

After a moment's silence Bruce sighed, resigned. "Unless you are the one to show me how to run it. And I don't mean just a crash course in business practices. You're either with me in this all the way or not at all," she finished seriously.

Bruce blinked, Dick smirked, and Barbara smiled. "Last night you said you wanted to leave me this legacy, because it was all that you could give me. You were wrong about that. What you can give me now, all I ever really wanted before, is a chance to know you- the real you. I'm willing to give it a shot if you are" she asked leaning forward to hold out her hand.

Bruce looked at the proffered hand, and then back up at his daughter, hesitating. "Does this deal include Batman?" he asked first.

"Hell no," she smirked. "This is my town now, and no one comes in unless they've been invited. Besides, Batman's gonna have his hands full breaking in a bunch of spoiled meta brats from the sound of things."

Bruce frowned, and then the lines in his aging features eased up as a chuckle began to work it's way past his lips. "Deal then."

Barbara and Dick smiled at each other, and Alfred came out, a broad smile giving away the fact that he too had heard the entire conversation. His timely comment however was cut short when the phone rang. Pulling the cell phone out of hi jacket he answered it in his usual British dignified manner.

"Good morning Mr. Xanatos. I'll check and see if Mr. Wayne is currently available."

Bruce was already gesturing that he would take the call. "Just a moment sir."

"Wayne speaking." Helena cocked her head to one side as she observed a side of her father that she had yet to see. This deal would indeed provide her with ample opportunity to observe him, and she was actually looking forward to it.

"Yes, of course we'll be there. Yes Dinah should be well enough to travel, and again, our sincerest thanks for your son's….gift. Perhaps I could meet with you tomorrow, for that lunch to discuss some business?"

The three spectators finished their breakfasts with seeming disinterest in the conversation, but as soon as Bruce hung up the phone and handed it back to Alfred, all eyes fixed on him. "There is going to be a funeral for Goliath in a week and the Clan has extended an invitation to us to be present. Will Dinah be well enough to travel by then?"

"She slept soundly through most of last night, and with a little more food and some walking she should be just fine by then," Barbara answered confidently. "Besides, this is the least we could do for them," she added quietly.

"Helena, I'd like for you to come with me tomorrow to meet Mr. Xanatos and his wife."

Helena nodded. "Sure. Besides it'd give me a chance to check up on Elisa. I'm sure she's not gonna be much up to talking with anyone by the time everyone shows up for the funeral."

After they finished their breakfast in a comfortable silence, Barbara finally set her fork down and looked over at Helena. "Hel do you have anything planned today?"

"Not really, I was thinking of maybe going to my apartment and start cleaning things out before stopping by the bar and giving Leonard notice."

"I- I'd like to go back to the Clocktower. See if we can salvage anything."

Concern filled the younger woman's eyes as she turned to face her best friend. "You sure you're ready to go back there?" she asked softly, seeing Dick tense up just beyond Barbara.

The redhead took a deep breath, held it, and then slowly let it out and nodded firmly. "I have to go back there some time Hel, and the longer I put this off the worse it will get."

"Reese said they cleared the scene a couple of days ago, and that he and his partner managed to keep the investigation very cut and dry. The apartments were still in pretty good shape from what he told me, and they didn't come across any of the secret stashes in the training room."

Barbara nodded, gave a shaky smile, and then remained in a pensive silence the rest of the morning until it was time to go.

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

Mid Morning

As muddled as her brain was, Elisa managed to notice three things at once the moment she woke up. The first being that she was- regrettably- still alive. Her stomach quickly made it known however that she was about to pay for her overindulgence the night before. Unfortunately, her stomach didn't care that someone had bandaged her face back up, and she was once again completely blind.

Thankfully, someone was smart enough to be ready with a basin for her once she did wake. As she struggled upright, the bile quickly rising, a steady hand calmed her panicked movements as a basin was pressed into her own hands.

She silently thanked whoever had allowed her to retain some semblence of dignity as she vomited up the burning liquid from a stomach not ready to handle such abuse. When her dry heaves finally quieted after several long minutes, the basis was replaced by a tall glass of cool water. "Easy Maza," an all too familiar voice chided mildly as she tried to gulp down the refreshing liquid.

"Dracon?" she croaked out, turning her head slightly in the direction of the voice.

"None other," he said, the smirk clearly carrying through in his tone.

"Who the hell let you in here," she muttered.

"Certainly not your parents," the mob boss chuckled. "But they're being kept busy at the moment, so I snuck past your guard down the hall to check up on you."

Sullen silence met his statement. "Heard you had a little party here last night all by yourself," he chuckled. It held no humor though, because he could clearly see the downward emotional spiral she was on.

"Bet _that_ went over really well with everyone."

"For some reason they all seemed to be very concerned Maza."

"I can't imagine why," she remarked sarcastically.

"So, should they be concerned?"

"Are you asking if I'm gonna eat my gun or something Tony?"

"Are you?" he asked, all pretense dropping from his voice as he grew very serious.

There was a long pause, and Elisa turned her head away from him before she answered, which was not a good thing in his book. "No….and it's none of your damn business anyway Dracon."

"See, that's where you've got things wrong Maza. It is my business," he told her firmly. "I run this neighborhood Sugar, but it only runs well if I have you to balance things out. Yin to my yang and all that nonsense. So if things are to continue running smoothly, I need you around- which makes your continued existence my business."

"Oh, so is that why you didn't pull the trigger the other night Dracon?" she asked with sudden venom in her voice as she turned sightless eyes towards him. "Because the way I see it, you've grown soft over the years and you let your affection for me cloud your judgement. You've capped more people than I care to think about. I put my life in your hands! I was depending on you, because no one else there could have done what I asked of you. I did everything you asked of me Tony. But when it really mattered, you let me down and now Goliath's dead!"

Dracon sighed quietly to himself- he had fully expected this. Xanatos had filled him in on Elisa's condition, since he hadn't been allowed anywhere near her room upon her return to the castle. He knew she would blame him for Goliath's death and, truth be told, he blamed himself as well. Tony was somewhat thankful that the bandages prevented him from seeing the loathing and pain that he knew would be directed full force at him right now, if she could.

He cleared his throat quietly. "You're right, I couldn't pull that trigger, and I'm sorry that things went down the way they did. But Goliath was right Elisa- it wasn't your time to die. Remember what he said to you and Demona that night, and don't throw your life away."

He stood abruptly, rested a hand on her head for a second and then withdrew. "I'll see you in a week for the funeral," he told her quietly and then he was gone.

Clock Tower

New Gotham

Midday

Barbara looked up at the blackened hole that exposed what had once been her home, and haven. She couldn't help the shudder that took hold of her as unwanted memories suddenly sprang to mind with vivid clarity. Helena reached across the small space separating them in the vehicle and rested her hand on her friend's shoulder.

The haunted look, and utter terror that flashed across Barbara's face scared the younger woman. "Barbara we don't have to do this today," she said quietly.

"No…I have to Hel. I have to do this now, or it'll be too hard," she repeated.

The hand tightened slightly. "You'll never give up Barbara…your too strong," Helena told her confidently. "The elevator is out, so we'll have to hike it. Let me get your chair up there first and then I'll come back and get you."

Her older companion nodded distractedly, so the brunette slipped out of the car and was dashing up the stairs from one landing platform to the next with Barbara's motorized wheelchair clasped easily in her arms, despite it's great weight. Within seconds she was back down on the street, opening the door to the Hummer, and patiently waiting for Barbara to acknowledge that she was ready for a lift.

There was a long hesitation, and Helena knew it had a lot to do with the fact that Barbara's insecurities had been coming back full force in the last few days. Since her arm had been broken and was now unable to take any weight, she had once again found herself extremely limited in what she could do by herself. With her spirit nearly crushed, her independence all but stripped away, and her life's work destroyed, Helena couldn't blame Barbara for her recent bouts of depression.

Finally, there was a sigh of resignation, an unbuckling of her seatbelt, and Helena gently extracted Barbara from the car and carried her smoothly up the stairs. After settling Barbara in her chair Helena flashed her a tender smile.

"Thank you sweetie."

"Anytime Red….just don't get all grouchy with me the next time I wanna take a spin in your ride," Helena teased with a nod to the chair.

That finally broke the ice as a wry smile quirked her lips up. "Don't think I haven't forgotten the last time you…commandeered my wheelchair. I mean really Hel, the roof of New Gotham's Cathedral?"

"Hey," the younger woman protested with an innocent expression. "You said all terrain, and I was just testing that for you. I mean the stairs in front of the NG Library didn't phase it, so I had to see just how far I could push it."

"Well I guess we found out that a combination of old stone tiles, and a hundred and thirty degree angled roof, definitely pushed it well beyond it's limits."

Helena giggled. "So no dice huh?"

"Not only is that a no, but a hell no. If I catch you even thinking of doing something in my fifty thousand dollar modified wheelchair, I'm going to sic Dick and Alfred on you."

"Party pooper," Helena sighed dramatically.

Barbara chuckled, then paused for a minute as she felt the tenseness begin to evaporate with the familiar banter and teasing Helena had initiated. A soft smile suddenly touched her lips and she looked up at her partner. "Thanks Hel," she said quietly, as her hand reached out to intertwine with Helena's.

"You've always been there for me, Barbara- even when I didn't want you to be. I hope you know that I will always be here for you too."

"I do sweetie…..never doubt that."

"You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's check out the bedrooms then. Reese said he and a few friends came by earlier today since they heard we we're gonna be here and left boxes in each of the rooms. Gibson, said there was quite a bit that wasn't damaged….my old room seemed to have taken the biggest hit, but no real loss there right?"

"Did I just hear you admit that a loss of clothing wasn't a heinous crime?" Barbara teased as she guided her chair around a pile of rubble and began to follow her best friend across what had once been the living room.

"Oh, it's still a capitol offense, but for once I'm gonna give the kid a break for stealing my clothes since most of them were in her closet at the time- which I heard was unscathed," Helena said brightly.

Barbara rolled her eyes, but was silently relieved to hear that at least some of their personal affects had been spared. Her spirits lifted a great deal more when she reached her room and found that it was fairly unscathed by Quinn's assault and break-in. Clothes and other various items were spread around the room from where drawers had been opened and gone through. All the pictures had been knocked off the walls and dresser, but nothing a new frame or two wouldn't fix.

Rolling further into the room, she moved a few boxes out of the way as she made her way towards the ransacked closet. Clothing and boxes had been strewn across the floor and Barbara reached just inside the doorframe and pushed a small white button. The entire back wall of the closet slid back and then to the side revealing one of Barbara's many secret compartments. Glancing over the equipment with a sigh of relief, she sealed it back up and backed out of the closet.

She guided herself around the apartment level, Helena appearing at just the right moment to help move a large piece of debris out of the way. Once the beam had been shoved to one side, the younger woman wordlessly headed into the kitchen, leaving Barbara to her explorations. The brunette's tender thoughtfulness touched Barbara's heart, and tears welled up in her eyes. Helena was silently keeping an eye on her, but giving her enough space and distance to respect her fierce streak of independence. Even when she had first moved in with Barbara, Hel had just seemed to instinctively know when Barbara needed and would willing accept a hand.

The training room and Helena's old room turned out to be the two largest disasters on the apartment level. Thankfully, nothing of importance had been discovered- by either Harley or the police. Once the redhead had comforted herself over the fact that at least a part of their lives had been left intact, she finally rolled out to the living room and glanced upwards.

"There's really not much left up there," Helena said quietly, appearing out of thin air and startling Barbara. "What Harley didn't take out with her rocket launcher, was either destroyed by her goon squad or when you self destructed the Delphi."

"I'd still like to see it," Barbara whispered.

Helena nodded, and then wordlessly picked her companion up, ever mindful of her injuries and carried her up the mangled staircase that led to the upper floor that had been her second home and the focal point of her life. Setting Barbara on a battered couch, Helena bounded over the railing, and was back over in under five seconds with the wheelchair.

"I'll probably have to stay with you….there's too much debris for you to move around easily," the younger woman said hesitantly.

"It's ok Hel….I could really use your company right now anyway," Barbara told her with a tight smile.

Another wordless nod from the brunette and the two women silently made their way through the burnt, twisted, and crumbling remains of their base of operations. Barbara paused while Helena bent to clear a path for her, and caught sight of the chair that Quinn had tied her to for nearly an hour. She felt her breath slip away as her mind flashed back to those long agonizing minutes, not knowing if she would live or die…not knowing if the ones she loved were still alive or dead…

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner," Helena whispered, her blue eyes fixed on the lone chair left standing in the large upper room. She could see the bloodstains coating the surface, and could scent that it was Barbara's even from several feet away. Barbara's wrists were still raw from where the ropes had dug into her flesh, and the cuts and bruises she suffered as a result of her torture were only just beginning to heal.

"Helena, there was nothing you could have done. Had you left the yards, you could have jeapordized the whole mission, and you would have never forgiven yourself if all those people had died in a failed mission. Your father got here as quick as any one of you could have and all of this had still happened anyway."

"Thank god he got here before she could have…" Helena's throat tightened around the words. Tears sprung to her eyes and it felt like all the air had suddenly been sucked out of the room or someone had sucker punched her in the gut- hard. For the first time, it really hit her how close she had been to losing Barbara. Her vision swam, and her world began to spin, and all she was aware of was the concerned voice asking what was wrong and then coaxing her to sit down before she passed out.

"…breath Hel….put your head between your knees and just breath….."

Helena obediently listened to that voice, and several long minutes later she lifted her head to look into concerned emerald eyes. "I'm okay now," Helena said hoarsely as she tried to shake off her emotional response and stand.

A firm hand on her shoulder stopped that. "Are you sure your ok? Maybe I should have Alfred come over-,"

"No," Helena said a little sharply, cutting Barbara off. She was silent for another minute, but those piercing green eyes wouldn't let her go anywhere until she told Barbara what was going on.

"Jesus Barbara," Helena hissed upset. "I nearly lost you. I nearly lost you and the kid." Watery blue eyes finally looked up to meet her steady gaze. "I can't go through that again. You're all I've got."

Barbara gave her a tender and sad smile. "I don't plan on going anywhere for a long time Hel. But I'm not all you have now…..there's a lot more people willing to share your life now if you'll continue to let them."

"They'll never replace you though Barbara. Your…you've been…." The brunette stumbled over her words, ducked her head and scrubbed her eyes against her shoulder, and swallowed thickly. When she finally looked back up, there was so much open love in her features that Barbara could only gasp in wonder at the young woman's open admission.

"I always felt like I'd be betraying her by saying it…but I know the reason she picked you. I've known for a long time really. My mom picked you because she knew that only you could be a mom to me. You knew when I needed to be held, you knew when I needed my space. You would let me get away with the stupid crap, but you never let me slack when it came to the important things in my life. You put up with my temper, and my mood swings, and everything else even though I wasn't your kid.

"She picked you because in a lot of ways, you are just like her. That's why it was so easy for me to think of you as my mom. I know I never told you that, but that's how I feel Barbara."

Barbara stared at Helena, tears in her eyes, as she slowly digested the enormity of the moment. She glanced past the brunette, to the steel wall that still separated the Delphi Command Center from the rest of the upper tower, and then back at Helena. Finally the older woman reached out and drew Helena to her in a fierce hug, ignoring the throbbing in her arm as the joy in her heart overwhelmed it.

"I love you too Hel," she whispered into dark hair. "Let's go home."

Hel sat back on her haunches after a minute, and looked behind her. "What about-."

"I've done what I needed to do here…it's time to move on," she said in a much steadier voice.

Helena cocked her head to one side as she thought about that. "This is gonna be a whole new ballgame now isn't it Red?"

Barbara gave a genuine grin. "I think so Hel. Question is can you play nice with the other players now?"

"Daddy just gave me the keys to the kingdom," Helena reminded, with a smirk. "It's about time I get to call some shots around this place."

Barbara rolled her eyes dramatically, causing the younger woman to snicker. "Heaven help us all now."

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

Late evening

"How many people are going to be here!" Brooklyn asked in disbelief.

"So far, over three hundred have requested to attend. I've had to put nearly everything on hold until the arrangements for this are finalized, because I get phones calls nearly every hour from someone new who wants to attend."

"Xanatos, I'm sorry-"

The billionaire waved his hand and shrugged. "Don't worry about it Brooklyn. It's the least I can do for you and the Clan. This is a slow time of year business-wise, so there isn't anything pressing that can't be pushed back a week. I of course, haven't granted permission to anyone until they have your approval. But, in order to make necessary travel arrangements, I will need you to make some decisions pretty quickly on some of the guests."

"Travel arrangements?"

"Well there is a large delegation that wishes to be present from the Ishimura Clan in Japan. I really have no idea how they found out, but even the three survivors of the Guatamalan Clan wish to attend. Hell, the entire Avalon Clan is requesting to be present, and Fox said her mother can arrange for their arrival."

"Wow….Hudson was thinking this thing was going to be pretty small. I don't know how he will take this, and being the elder…well he really is in charge of this thing."

Xanatos sat back in his chair and nodded. "From what Demona told me, I gathered that he was the one to call the shots. However, I would like to respectfully point out that there is a great opportunity here Brooklyn. The first and perhaps the most important matter is that you have the chance to bring together all of these different Clans. This is the perfect opportunity to establish a relationship with the other Clan Leaders and Elders, something that your very survival is going to rely on."

"True," Brooklyn agreed. "Before all this mess started Goliath had been speaking with Kai and the others about a sharing of Clan members…especially for our brothers in Guatamala."

"The media had been eating this story up, and as much as I hate to say it, Goliath's noble death has been a major story. It could draw out other Clans who are still hiding, if they know that there is going to be a gathering of their own kind."

"So what's the second reason why this is a good opportunity?" Brooklyn asked a little skeptical.

"Publicity, Brooklyn. Don't take that wrong…its just that this can really help build up your image for the masses. Not to mention you will be certain in gaining the support of some extremely powerful and high-ranking people."

"I just don't want this to turn into a media circus."

"If you would like, I can make some suggestions on the list and if the ceremony is to be held here, then it will be private and I can control the media aspect. Goliath worked hard his whole life to earn the respect of those he protected- I will do everything in my power to see to it that he laid to rest with honor and dignity."

Brooklyn nodded. "I think as long as that is what is kept intact, I can reason with Hudson on everything else. What did you have in mind?"

Wayne Manor

New Gotham

Evening

Everyone looked up in surprise as the weary looking blonde shuffled into the large dinner room. Nearly everyone rose to their feet instantly to assist her, but the teen waved them off and managed to make it to an empty chair under her own power before sinking gratefully into it.

"Miss Dinah you really shouldn't be up and about without someone to assist you so soon," Alfred chided her gently as he poured the girl a tall glass of water.

Dinah eagerly accepted the cool liquid and downed half her glass in one long swallow. "I've been in bed for over a week," she complained once she took a breath. Another long drink and the water was finished. "Besides, I'm tired of eating soup and when I smelled Alfred's meatloaf from upstairs there was no way I was gonna miss dinner again."

Helena chuckled as she resumed eating. "Yeap, sounds like she's ok to me."

Barbara and Alfred exchanged a knowing look and sigh, and then with a mutual shrug, the butler placed a setting before the young woman and served her a cautious amount of food. "Alfred," the teen whined in protest.

"Finish that with no ill effects Miss and we'll see about seconds."

The blonde pouted, and there were knowing smirks shared around the table when she focused on her food. "So Dr. Tompkins says you've made remarkable progress Dinah. How have you been feeling?"

"I had a pretty wicked headache yesterday, but today when I woke up I felt better…actually it was the first time I felt almost like myself," she answered in between bites. "My brain is still a little fuzzy, and there's some gaps in my memory, but at least the pain is gone," she admitted.

Barbara's eyebrows drew together in concern. "You're experiencing memory loss Dinah? Why didn't you say anything about that earlier?"

Dinah's eyes rolled in typical teenaged fashion, and several people were hard pressed not to chuckle at the annoyed look on Barbara's face. "Come on Barbara, like I was going to ADD to the list of problems with me. You should have seen the look on your face a few minutes ago when I came in here. I FEEL better, I just need some time to clear the cobwebs out of my head. I'm already getting back most of what I lost."

"M-Most of what you lost? How bad is this?"

Now even Helena was raising an eyebrow, a look that was mirrored by her father, and sent Dinah into a small fit of giggles. "Oh my god, you two really do look a lot alike," she gasped as she rubbed her temples to soothe the small ache her laughter had spawned. When the discomfort died down, she looked back up to see everyone looking at her expectantly.

She toyed with her food for a second, took a big bite and mumbled something about not remembering the fight at all after she woke up. She glanced up to see a look of disbelief on several faces and more than a little worry on a couple in particular. "I'm fine now though," she added quickly. "I, uh, it took me a few days to remember why I felt like a train had hit me. At first I didn't think the little 'conversation' I had in my head with two complete strangers had been real until Helena brought it up the other night. Then it all started coming back to me. I remember most of the battle, but it gets a little blurry towards the end where I overloaded."

The young man at the far end of the table shrugged and resumed eating. "Sounds perfectly normal to me," he commented into the silence. "I mean how many times have the rest of us remembered everything clearly after taking a bad hit?"

Dick and Helena nodded in agreement, Barbara and Bruce fixed him with disapproving stares however. "What?" he asked defensively.

"Oh come one you guys, lay off Tim," Helena chuckled. "Just because he's stated the obvious, doesn't mean you have to gang up on him."

Dinah flashed Tim and Hel a grateful look, and focused back on what was left of her dinner as two stares turned on Helena. The brunette merely arched an eyebrow back at them. "Please," she sniffed before taking a bite of her own dinner.

"Alfred can I have more now?" Dinah asked as she finished her serving.

"Wait just a bit to let it settle and then you can have a bit more Miss Dinah."

Another sigh and pout, but then the teen looked the group over. "So what's been going on while I've slept the week away?"

The group visited for the next hour, Dinah finally receiving a second helping when she had assured Alfred her stomach could handle it and even being allowed a small helping of the rich cheesecake he had prepared. Dinah finally asked the question that everyone had been dancing around the whole evening.

"So how have Elisa and the other been holding up?"

There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Reese finally cleared his throat. "I spoke with her partner, Matt Bluestone today. He said she isn't handling Goliath's death well," he answered quietly. "She's been withdrawing from everyone, including the Clan. Last night she somehow got her hands on some alcohol, and went on a drinking binge and nearly drowned herself in her bathtub."

"She on suicide watch now?" Dick asked, wincing as he heard the depressing news.

"Yeah, she isn't left alone in her room for more than a few minutes at a time now."

"Is she allowed visitors?" Helena asked.

"From what Matt said, she is. But she usually chases most people out after the first few minutes."

Helena looked over at her father. "I want to check in on her when we go down there tomorrow."

Bruce nodded. "We have no time constraints that would prevent that. I'm sure the Clan would appreciate your efforts."

"You guys are going to Manhattan tomorrow?" Dinah asked curios.

"I promised the Xanatos' a lunch date, and I wanted Helena to meet them."

"Cool! I saw this documentary about how the castle was built on top of his skyscraper and it was so neat. I mean it took them like five years just to plan how they could build both structures!." With that, the teen launched into a lengthy re-telling of the documentary.

As she talked, Helena took in the healthier skin color in Dinah's features, and the returning brightness in her eyes. Sliding a glance over at Barbara, she noticed the older woman observing her charge with a practiced eye. "Yeah, she's definitely feeling better," Helena chuckled quietly under her breath so only Barbara could hear.

The slight grin that quirked Barbara's lips upwards indicated that the redhead had indeed heard the comment and agreed.


	32. Pep Talk

A/N: Hey everyone thanks once again for all of your reviews! Hope you enjoy this as well! Since it's been awhile: Gargs belong to Disney the Birds belong to DC/WB. Sadly I make no money offa this.

**January 4th**

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**Midday**

"So are the rumors true about you having some kind of prototype defense shield around this thing?" Helena asked the tattooed redhead walking along the stone corridors with her.

Fox Xanatos smirked as she glanced over at the younger woman. "Seems like you did more than just a little homework on us."

Helena shrugged. "I work with the all-knowing Oracle. Bruc- my father gave me a brief file on both of you and your companies, but I wanted to know more."

Fox chuckled, eye sparkling. "Must be a cat thing."

That pried Helena's attention away from the amazing architecture surrounding her. "Hudson told us a little bit about you and the others. Enough to wet one's appetite- especially since I practically worshipped your mother when I was a teenager and reaching the height of my rebelliousness."

Helena's eyebrows disappeared under her bangs. "You knew my mom?"

Strangely the emotions that ran across the older woman's face were mixed. "I came across your mother during a dark time in my very sordid past. It's not something I like to talk about, but sufficed to say, your mother helped me out as I stumbled through my rebellious phase."

She paused in the hallway and looked over at Helena, her expression relaxing finally. "It would seem that I followed the same path in life that your mother did. When I look at you, I see what my son can become one day. Your mother would be proud of you Helena, and I can see in your father's eyes just how much it means to him to have you to stand at his side."

The brunette ducked her head away, seeming interested once more in a sword collection on the wall. "Yeah, well it's been a long hard road to get to this place in my life," Helena said a little resentfully. "And it's only just beginning. Usually, just after things start going right, the rug gets pulled out from under me and my life gets turned upside down again," she added with a troubled look.

Fox chuckled and Helena raised an eyebrow. "Would life be interesting if it didn't throw us curveballs? It's a sad fact that people like us thrive on drama. If there were no crises to fix, problems to solve, or disasters to avert, we'd all be out of a job and bored out of our minds."

"Yeah, but what about when the stakes start to get too high?" Helena asked in a somber tone.

Fox's expression grew serious as well. "I may have been on the wrong side of the law for awhile, but a great deal has changed in my life over the past few years. We make tough choices in life Helena," Fox told her as a deep sadness filled her eyes. "Choices like whether the life of someone close to you is worth the lives of thousands of strangers you don't know. In the end we make the right choices, regardless of how much it will cost us personally, because that is who we are. We do it because we can make a difference when others can't. We hold a power that very few possess Helena, and only a small portion of those who hold that power use it in a way to benefit others. In the end, you've made a difference in at least one person's life and the stakes are never too high."

Helena mulled over that silently for a minute and then quirked her head to the side. "So, you really do have that force field huh?" she asked her lips turning upwards a bit.

"And it's more than just a prototype too," Fox answered with a laugh as she continued with Helena's tour of their building.

**(break)**

"I have to say you run a tight ship here David. I'm very impressed but what I saw…and what I didn't see," Bruce added with a smirk as he took the tumbler of scotch Xanatos handed him.

"A man can't give away all his secrets now- especially with you back in the game. You of course realize that you're going to have to make a press statement soon. I believe more than just a couple of my department heads recognized you."

"Hel and I discussed it a little on the flight over here and I think next week I'll hold a press conference. I need to meet with my Board first and appraise them of what's about to happen. It's going to take some serious restructuring on my part if I want to keep my company from going under."

"You have my word that neither of our companies will try to make any moves on yours Bruce. I believe you won't have anything to worry about from Nightstone either."

"I appreciate that David, although you must understand I'm a bit leery as to why you would make such a generous statement."

"I respect you a great deal Bruce. When I first started out, I thought you were foolish to waste so much money on charities and such. But my priorities have changed over the years, and I began realize just how much of a difference people like us can make. After Fox inherited her father's corporation, it was amazing how much we could accomplish once we began to pool our resources. I have no intention, nor any desire to take over your company, but I am hoping that we can work out a few suitable contracts that would be mutually beneficial for both our companies."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did you have in mind?" knowing full well the business tycoon already had something lined up.

"As you saw, we have made some incredible progress perfecting cybernetics and cyberbiotics. Your company has been specializing in drug research, and Nightstone has been playing around quite a bit with genetic research. I believe I could have a word with Ms. Destine and arrange a meeting that could help our corporations corner the medical research market."

"Dominique Destine? The woman has a reputation worse than Luther did. According to my sources she's been gathering her resources for months now to make a bid for my company. I can't imagine her going into a deal like this without some ulterior motive."

Xanatos gave him a cryptic smile. "Oh, she has an ulterior motive alright, just not what you could possibly imagine. Trust me when I tell you she's a very different woman now, and would be very interested in this deal."

The two executives held each other's gazes and Bruce finally nodded. He held out his hand and they shook on it. "Perhaps next week after we've all taken care of our personal business, we can sit down and discuss the basics of this deal?"

"I look forward to it. In the meantime, perhaps you would like a tour of the castle as well? You really should stay to see the gargoyles wake up…it's an incredible sight."

"We wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense. Hudson was looking forward to seeing Helena tonight, and the rest of the Clan were eager to meet both of you as well. Besides, Owen has already begun preparations for dinner for both of you."

"It would be a pleasure to meet the gargoyles. Helena says they are magnificent creatures."

"They truly are a sight to behold," Xanatos agreed as he opened the door to his office. "It's a shame Goliath was killed in the Dock Wars. His loss has hit the Clan- and others- very hard. I can only hope that they will recover from this blow as they have others in the past," he sighed, genuinely sad.

"My….family has had many good things to say about Detective Maza. I know the loss she is feeling right now, and if she is half the woman that I've been told, she'll come back from this even stronger than she was before. I look forward to being able to meet her in person."

"Well I definitely wouldn't recommend it be tonight," Xanatos told him dryly. "She has not been in the best of moods lately and even her family has been at a loss as to what to do to help her."

"Perhaps, therein lies the problem," Wayne told him as they entered the private elevator that would whisk them up into the castle.

"Having her family around?" Xanatos asked puzzled.

Wayne shrugged. "I don't know about that. What I meant, was that perhaps it isn't help that she wants right now. From what I've been told, Detective Maza strikes me as a fiercely independent woman- a warrior through and through. I've come to know more than a few of those kinds of people over the years," he admitted with a faint smile. "We all have our egos and pride David, and the last thing _any_ of us want to admit to is a weakness. And if she's feeling like Goliath's death is her fault, then she's going to put herself through hell and back because she feels like she's deserved the pain and suffering that she's now having to endure."

Xanatos looked at the older man thoughtfully and chuckled. "So tell me, did you study psychology while you were away?" he chuckled quietly as the elevator opened and they stepped out into the massive stone entryway of the castle.

Wayne chuffed softly and shook his head. "No. Just some lessons I've learned over the course of my life…some the hard way," he answered quietly as his eyes grew distant and sad for a moment. It only lasted for a breath, and then he smiled. "Helena said she wanted to check in with Elisa. Given her lack of beside manner from what Barbara has told me, I think it could be just the thing Elisa needs right now."

"Hope her reflexes are as good as Hudson claimed. Last person to try and enter the room had a lamp thrown at them," Xanatos laughed.

**One Hour Later…..**

Helena and Fox joined the men out in the courtyard, a few minutes before the sun set. "Man and I thought New Gotham was cold," Helena remarked as she drew her long leather duster tighter around her slight frame.

"It's about the same really," Xanatos explained, even as he zipped his own heavy jacket up. "We're so high up though, that there's nothing to block the wind."

"Mommy! Daddy!" a young voice called out excitedly, as it's owner came dashing across the courtyard.

The two parents smiled warmly, and Fox crouched down to catch her exuberant toddler as he launched himself into her arms. She hugged him, as he squirmed in her grasp eager to tell her about his day. "Did you have fun with Uncle Owen today?"

"It was soooooo neat mommy!" he exclaimed his eyes bright. "We saw lost of dinosaurs an' bones an' there was even a T-Rex!"

"Owen took him to the Museum of Natural History this afternoon," Xanatos explained with a grin.

"Hey it's the cat lady!" Alex grinned as he caught sight of the new visitors.

"Now Alex, mind your manners young man," his mother scolded him lightly, even as Helena burst out laughing and Bruce smirked.

"Hey there kiddo," Helena chuckled as she reached out to ruffle short red hair.

"But she is mom!"

"Yes, but her real name is Helena."

"Ok," he sighed dramatically as he squirmed to get down. Once on the ground he walked over to Bruce and craned his head up to look at the tall man.

Bruce looked down at Xanatos' prodigy and held the child's curious gaze. The boy's eyes seemed to age for a moment, and the older man tensed up slightly as he felt the hairs on his neck begin to stand. "Alex," Owen said curtly, startling everyone.

The boy blinked, breaking from whatever small trance he had gone into, and then held out his hand. "Hello Mr. Wayne."

Bruce hesitantly reached out to shake the child's hand and he didn't miss the sharp look from his daughter when he did hesitate.

"I apologize for that Mr. Wayne. Alex still has a great deal to learn in the use of his talents…..etiquette being one of them. It seems his teacher has been very remiss in that area," Owen stated as he came forward and rested a firm hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Well, boys will be boys," Bruce forced himself to say as he tried to give as genuine as smile as possible. He was most definitely not comfortable around the halfling, given that the child was still learning when it was and was not proper to probe another's mind. But the boy's power had saved Dinah's life and he obviously had both a good heart and a good instructor.

"The sun's setting!" Alex whispered excitedly, shrugging off Owen's hand as he ran towards where the gargoyles were sleeping.

The adults followed him with a chuckle, and stood a safe distance away as the sky began to grow darker and the sound of cracking filled the suddenly calm air. Bruce watched in fascination, as the statues of solid stone morphed into living beings. As the last stone chips were shaken from clothing and hair, the aging billionaire realized that Helena's description of 'breathtaking' had been very apt. After finally taking a breath of the frigid night air, he chuckled slightly to himself, and grinned.

Helena slid a knowing look over at him, and then moved forward to greet the eldest clan member with a hug. "Hey gramps," she laughed as he held her at arm's length to look her over carefully.

"'Tis good to see ye again lass," he greeted warmly. "An' ye be looking like ye have been healing nicely," he noted, taking in the nearly faded bruises and cuts on what skin was visible.

"Yeah, good old meta healing. You look good yourself."

"Aye," he acknowledged, sadness creeping into his aged features. "The battle at the train yards went quickly and with few injuries thanks to Nightwing an' his friends." The rest of the Clan had gathered around the small group of humans by now, with Alex immediately making his rounds of hugging the gargoyles good morning.

"Lass I'd like for ye to meet the rest o' the Clan. This is Lexington, the one I said Barbara would love to get to know."

"Ah, the techno geek," Helena grinned as she shook the smaller gargoyle's clawed hand.

"Hudson tells me your friend may be a better hacker than me," he grinned back.

"Well I may be a bit biased, but I'd say Barbara is the best hack in the world. Course she's got…or at least had…a computer on steroids at her command. I'm sure when you two meet there's gonna be some wreaking of cyber havoc."

"This be Broadway and Angela."

Helena nodded and smiled at the couple. "So you're quite the up and coming detective from what Elisa told me."

The portly gargoyle's eyes widened a bit and Helena swore she saw him blush. "Wow. She really said that?"

"You bet. Told us about how you helped her break that cocaine smuggling case last year. Nice work," Helena complimented. She looked at the quiet female who stood at his side, her taloned hand clasped tightly in his, and smiled gently as she held out her hand.

"Angela, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Between Elisa and your father, I feel like I've known you for years. I'm looking forward to having a chance to visit more with you."

The lavender young woman shook her hand firmly, her eyes moist, but a tentative smile gracing her own lips. "Hudson has had a great many tales of you and your family. I also look forward to getting to know you."

Helena grinned and raised an eyebrow towards Hudson. "Now you haven't been telling too many stories about me have you gramps? Cause I might have to tell them about how you are now the YMCA king back in New Gotham."

Hudson held up his hands in innocence, as he growled a mock warning at her when everyone's eyes snapped between the two of them at her reference. "YMCA King?" the crimson beaked gargoyle asked speculatively, a smirk growing on his long features.

"Let's just see how much Hudson told on me before I give up any juicy gossip about his stay in NG," Helena laughed as she winked at the older gargoyle who relaxed visibly. "You must be Brooklyn. Heard a lot about you too."

"I swear it's not as bad as it sounds," he chuckled as he shook her hand firmly.

"Don't worry, I get a bad rap back at home. We rebels will just have to stick together, and prove you can have fun _and_ get the job done."

Brooklyn grinned back at her and then as she pumped his hand one last time she turned towards her father. "Everyone I'd like for you to meet my father, Bruce Wayne."

"Whoa, I thought you were dead or something," Lexington said in surprise, his eyes wide.

"No…just away for a very long time," the billionaire admitted as he moved forward to shake hands.

"Huh, guess this means your gonna have more than Dem- Dominique, to play with now," Brooklyn said to Xanatos, catching his slip a little late.

"We were just talking about that a little while ago actually. Things could get very interesting for all three of our companies in the near future. Angela will your mother be stopping by this evening?"

The lavender gargess nodded, a puzzled look in her eyes. "Yes she said she would be here shortly after sundown," she answered quietly.

"Excellent. I think it would be a great opportunity for her to meet Mr. Wayne. Owen, do we have room for one more guest?"

"Of course Mr. Xanatos."

"Very good. Well, shall we head inside where it's warmer?"

**(break)**

Bruce sipped from his wine glass as he casually observed the group surrounding him. Barbara wasn't kidding when she said Helena was a quick study. Of course, the young woman had inherited a natural talent to socially fit in nearly anywhere she went. Her charming smile, easy laugh, and casual demeanor put anyone around her at ease, and in the process loosened tongues nicely. She would be a killer on business dates.

She had also done more than her fair share of homework. When he had given her that dossier to read on the Xanatos', it had merely been to introduce her to the wealthy couple. He figured that once she was going to meet with the couple on a more professional level, he would then have her take a more in depth look into their companies and their lives. Granted, she had heard quite about their personal lives from Elisa, Goliath, and Hudson during their stay in New Gotham. But from the pointed questions about their businesses, it had been very clear that she had hit Barbara up for some extra information.

Despite the fact that the Clan was still clearly mourning the loss of their leader, she had helped to manage keep the meal conversation light, and would steer things away from any topics that seemed touchy. Hudson helped a great deal as well, finally caving to everyone's persistent asking of what Helena meant when she called him the YMCA King.

As Helena and Brooklyn launched into an impromptu competition of who nabbed the dumbest crook, his eyes drifted over to where Angela sat close to her mother. Demona. He had heard rumors of her in the past, but had chalked her existence up to superstition, since he himself had never come across her or her kind. He was still trying to figure out why Xanatos wanted him to meet her.

She had supposedly changed her ways over the last couple of years, but there was something about the indigo gargess that made him uneasy in her presence. Her casual gaze took in everything, constantly measuring everything and everyone up with almost predatory intent. What caused him the most discomfort was the fact that she seemed too familiar. There was something in that lightly accented- almost haughty- tone, the angular features, and the fiery red hair, that had every fiber in his being telling him he had seen her before.

She obviously knew who he was, given the surprise on her face when she entered the dining area and was introduced. And she was more than a little familiar with his company, from the pointed questions she was asking and the keen interest she had displayed as he discussed small business matters with Fox and David. Finally, as dinner wound down, she stood to excuse herself saying she needed to attend to some business of her own. Leaning down to give her daughter a brief hug, Demona assured her daughter that she wasn't leaving the castle yet and that she would see her later.

Angela nodded, and Bruce watched as the Clan warily watched her go. It would seem that most of them were still wary around Demona. As Owen began clearing the table the small group began to break up, as Brooklyn, Lex and Broadway headed out for a brief glide through the city on an un-official patrol. Helena and Angela excused themselves and Fox held out her hand to Alexander as she declared it was time for him to wash up and begin preparations for settling down for the evening.

"Shall we retire to the entertainment room for a drink and to discuss the future?" Xanatos offered.

"Aye, that sounds like a fine suggestion," Hudson answered as he pushed his bulky frame up.

"Shall you be requiring my assistance sir?" Owen asked tonelessly.

"I think I can handle pouring a few drinks Owen. I don't think Fox or I will be needing anything else tonight."

"Then I believe I will retire for the evening then if that is acceptable."

"Thank you Owen, but I think we can manage the rest of the night on our own. Go ahead and take the rest of the night off, you've most certainly earned it. I know the boy has been wearing you out lately with all of his… 'lessons'."

Owen's face never betrayed one ounce of emotion, but Bruce caught the brief look cast in his direction from the blonde man. "Indeed. Alexander is becoming stronger everyday and is requiring more supervision now that he has grasped the fundamentals of his lessons. Due to my…limitations, it has been growing increasingly difficult to keep them under control. I may have to suspend them until I can find a solution to this dilemma."

"Well Alex has had more lessons these past few weeks to last most people a lifetime. I think it would be good for the boy to learn a little patience. I'll speak with Fox on the matter, but in the meantime, consider yourself relieved of any exercises with him until a suitable solution has been found."

"Thank Mr. Xanatos," the majordomo said blandly. But all three men saw Owen's shoulders lift just a slight bit, as the small burden was lifted off of them.

"Goodnight Owen."

"Thank you for a wonderful meal Owen. And your choice of wine was excellent," Bruce added politely as he thought of Alfred back at home.

Owen inclined his head towards his guest. "Thank you Mr. Wayne. It was indeed an honor to meet you in person."

Wayne's lips twitched upwards into a smirk. "In this guise at least?" he asked casually.

Xanatos grinned, Hudson chuckled, and Owen merely raised an eyebrow. "We all have our secrets, don't we Mr. Wayne" he answered back blandly. Bruce shook his head, as he too chuckled. "Touché."

** (break)**

"This is quite the home you guys have here. Dinah….she's like my kid sister… you should have heard her go on and on about how this place was built. You'd have thought she was the one who drew up the plans for this thing," Helena chuckled.

Angela grinned shyly. "It is an amazing feat. I grew up on Avalon where there was no technology to speak of beyond rudimental equipment and weapons- we simply didn't need it. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such a complex world."

"Bet you suffered more than a little culture shock the first time you stepped off that boat," Helena grinned.

"I think I was first taken aback when Elisa, Bronx and my father showed up on Avalon's shores. Her clothing was so strange to us! And she had left Manhattan while wearing her gun- we had never seen a weapon of that sort before. Even though none of us knew it was empty, she tried to force King Oberon to back down from his attack on us, when she threatened to use it on him."

"That's sounds like Elisa. Barbara thinks I'm crazy, but that cop is crazier- and ballsier- than anyone I've ever come across. Hell, she and Reese-my boyfriend- had rigged the docks back at Gotham to blow if something went wrong. None of us knew about it, but if it had gone down bad, they had both agreed that at least one of them would make sure that none of the bad guys got away. Reese finally admitted that unless something had happened to her, Elisa would have done it. She rides the edge of insanity closer than anyone I know."

Angela suddenly looked away, pain filling her eyes. "I fear that all of this has finally pushed her over that edge."

They had entered into a room, and Helena looked around to see that they were inside a massive library. Alfred had mentioned that Goliath had been extremely fond of the library back at the Manor. She suspected it reminded him of home, and that he and his loved ones had shared good memories in this room. "What makes you say that Angela?" she asked gently as she strolled over to the massive fireplace and crouched down to inspect it.

"She speaks madness lately," the young woman answered, her voice trembling slightly. Helena busied herself with starting up a decent fire, as Angela seemed to gather her thoughts. Once the chill in air was being chased away by the warmth of the flames, Helena curled up on the couch across from the fire and patted the plush cushions next to her.

Angela sat heavily, her eyes shimmering with tears. "You want to talk about it?" Helena encouraged.

"Elisa has come to be more than just Clan and a friend to me over the years. I think my father wanted for her to become a mother figure for me, and while Elisa was willing to be a friend and a mentor, she told me on more than one occasion that she could never replace my mother. But she has always been there for me….and she was the one who made it possible for my mother to change. If it hadn't been for her encouraging me to not lose hope, or sticking up for me when my father found out I was sneaking off to visit Demona…." Angela trailed off shaking her head as a few tears made their way down her cheeks.

"I've watched her sacrifice so much for us- for me. Now she needs our help, but she said-" Angela's voice broke. "She said that she didn't want to be with us anymore. That's she's giving up," she finally whispered painfully as sobs began to shake her shoulders. "I don't want to loose her too."

Helena drew in a slow breath and laid a comforting hand on Angela's shoulder. "Elisa's going through a lot right now Angela. She's not thinking straight, and she doesn't realize what she's saying. Take it from someone who's been through this twice in less then a decade. I've said and done a lot of bonehead things over the last few years…this past one especially," Helena admitted ruefully.

Angela, sniffled for a few minutes. "Hudson said your mother was killed when you were younger."

"Yeah," Helena answered quietly. "She…she was killed right in front of me. She died in my arms….much like Goliath died in Elisa's from what I understand. There's nothing worse than watching the person you love most, take their last breath while you sit helplessly at their side. I was pretty messed up after that, and I don't doubt Elisa will be either. She's already been through hell these past few years from what she told us, and she went into that fight expecting that if anyone was to die it would be her. She just needs some time and patience Angela. Lots and lots of patience," she added with a distant look in her eye.

"Does it still hurt? Do you still miss her?" Angela asked in a choked voice.

Helena sighed. It was hard talking about this to someone that she had only just started to know. But she understood Angela's need to know. She understood all too well, what Angela was going though right now. "Yeah…I still miss her. I think about her everyday, wishing I could have shared something funny that happened or cried on her shoulder just one last time. It hurts knowing that she never got to see all the things I have done or will do with my life. But that pain eases a bit with time and love from everyone else around you. You'll get through this Angela, just as Elisa will."

"I know _I_ will," the gargess answered resolutely, and Helena could see a large part of Goliath's determination in her from the set of her shoulders. "But Elisa lost so much more…and I fear that she may never recover from this."

"I'm going to go see her in a few minutes. How bad is it?"

**(break)**

"I don't think that it would be wise to dist-"

A growl cut off the woman's warning and she quickly retreated back to the small room that she had come from. Demona turned the knob on the door in front of her and entered without waiting for the room's occupant to grant her permission to enter.

Elisa Maza looked up startled at the sudden intrusion into her room, and was even more shocked by who her unwanted visitor was. Gripping the edge of the dresser she was standing next to, her jaw clenched tightly.

"Get out," she ground out tightly.

Demona took a purposeful step further in the room and sized the injured detective up as she folded her arms across her chest. "Make me."

Elisa drew in a sharp breath, and straightened at the taunt. Limping painfully across the room, she fumbled for a second through a garment bag that held the dress uniform that Matt had dropped off earlier. Demona watched with a mixture of amusement and irritation as the raven haired woman pulled her service revolver from its holster and aimed it back in her direction.

"They actually let you have a gun in your possession right now?" she asked condescendingly.

Elisa's whole body jerked, and the weapon trembled. "How dare you," she whispered harshly.

Demona's entire posture shifted suddenly as she quickly advanced on the human and ripped the gun from her weak grasp. "No Elisa. How dare you," Demona threw back at her angrily, her eyes glowing blood red.

Elisa didn't know whether to be shocked by the fact that Demona had just called her by her name for the first time, or by the hurt and pain she saw in the immortal's eyes. Either way, for the first time in all their conflicts, Elisa looked away and sagged into a nearby chair defeated.

"Go away," she requested once more, in a strangled voice.

When Demona seemed frozen in place, Elisa looked up finally to see her standing in the same spot staring at her with a shocked expression on her angular features.

Demona sniffed the air once more, her mind unwilling to process what she was scenting from Elisa. But there was no denying it. She had been alive for far too many centuries to know it wasn't a mistake. Elisa was pregnant. She suddenly realized that the human was looking up at her, a defeated look still in her eyes as she waited for the gargoyle to make the next move. Her eyes flared red for a brief second, but it quickly disappeared when she saw something else in Elisa's features that she had seen all too often in the past. A look she had seen every time she had looked at her own reflection over the past millennium.

She willed herself to relax her stance, but the anger never left her voice as she spoke to the human. "I will not leave until I've said what everyone else in this castle is too afraid to say. As much as it pains me to admit this, to you of all people, you have been the closest thing to a mother Angela has had since Goliath brought her from Avalon. She…loves you and you turn your back on her now!"

Elisa began to protest, but Demona cut her off. "She told me what you said to her and that's what your doing, don't deny it. You got hurt, and now you're pulling yourself away from the Clan."

"Damnit Demona they are going to get hurt!" Elisa shouted as she pushed herself to her feet, and swayed unsteadily as she pushed a finger into the gargoyles face. "I can't believe that _you_ of all people don't see that. You were right okay? Humans are a bunch of psychopathic murders who seem bent on wiping every living thing off the face of this planet. Brooklyn and the Clan have been in meetings that will bring the gargoyle race back into public light. When they do that, god knows what lunatic groups will pop up to try and exterminate all of you. History will only repeat itself here, and I can't be a part of that."

Demona's clawed hand gripped Elisa by the front of her sweatshirt, and would have lifted her off the floor until the human gasped as healing injuries were strained. "Don't you dare ever say that to me again," she told Elisa in a deadly tone as she released Elisa and let her stumbled back into the chair.

The furious gargoyle began to pace restlessly in front of the human. "Don't you dare say those words to me, when _you_ were the reason I began to change." If she hadn't been so pissed off, Elisa's expression would have made her smirk. "That's right Elisa. You."

"But..Angela…"

"Angela helped me to remember what it was like to love someone again, and be loved in return. But it was _you_ that made me see that not all humans were evil. I hated you so much, because I could not deny that you genuinely cared for the Clan. Time after time I watched you risk your own life to save one or all of theirs. But when you gave my daughter back to me, even after I had tried to kill you all those times, I realized I had been wrong."

Elisa could only sit and stare at Demona in stunned silence. "Angela was part of the reason I began to let go of my hatred. But if you could look at me and see a hope for change after everything that had passed between us….well, I sure as hell wasn't going to back down from that challenge," she answered as her lips twisted ever so slightly upwards. Elisa snorted, and then finally looked away.

"Don't do this Elisa," Demona told her as the anger finally left her voice completely and took on an almost pleading quality to it. "Don't go down that dark path I did. I lost too much in my life because of it- things I will never be able to get back no matter how long I choose to live." Elisa was looking back up at her again, confusion in her scarred features.

"I can see it in your eyes." Elisa winced, and Demona mentally smacked herself_. Nice choice of words genius_, she chided herself before pushing on. "Look at you. You have never backed down from me in a fight. You're not even half the woman I despised for so long. Goliath gave his life so that you could live. Make his sacrifice worth it and pull yourself together."

"Don't bring him into this," Elisa hissed, a sob lodging into her throat.

"I will bring him into this because he has everything to do with where you go from here."

Elisa was on her feet again her words half shouts, half sobs. "He wasn't supposed to die that night! You saw it in my eyes Demona. You saw that it was supposed to be me! For all that you have gone through, can you honestly say that you understand how I'm feeling right now? I knew I was going to die and I had come to accept that. I wasn't ready to lose him!"

"And you think I was! Just because we didn't see eye to eye, didn't mean I stopped loving him. I never stopped loving Goliath, and when I watched him killed due to the actions of my most hated enemy, everything that I had begun to let go came crashing back down on me. I was this close Elisa," Demona breathed harshly as she held her talons a hairsbreadth apart. "I was this close to going berserk and killing everything and everyone in sight. And then you got back to your feet and took those bullets that were meant for me."

The gargoyle backed off, her own breath uneven as her wings trembled visibly with barely controlled emotions. "Angela asked me the other night why I stopped you from killing the Hunter. I couldn't answer her then, because I was still trying to deal with all of these damn emotions that I viewed as weak for so long. But I stopped you from killing the Hunter because I couldn't let you go down the path I did. If you need some time to get things straight in your head then take it. The Clan can handle being on their own for awhile if that's what it's going to take. But if they find themselves facing off against you like they did with me, it will destroy them."

The gargoyle paused, and locked eyes with the human. "I won't let you do that to them or yourself."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise I hope I never have to keep," Demona answered her shoulders sagging slightly. "Find a way to cope, and by the dragon get some actual rest before the funeral. You look like hell."

**(break)**

Helena blinked, surprised as the door to Elisa's room swung open just as she raised her hand to knock on it. She was more than a little surprised to see Demona of all people coming out of the detective's room, and quickly entered to make sure Elisa was okay.

She was relieved to see that at least Elisa was alive. Okay was a whole other matter however, given the tears and silent sobs. Helena crouched next to Elisa, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You want me to go kick her ass for you?" she asked with gentle humor.

"Helena?" Elisa sniffled as she lifted her face from where they had been shielded by her hands.

Despite Angela's descriptions, Helena was still hard pressed to control her shock at actually seeing the injuries. She mustn't have controlled it completely because Elisa quickly looked away, shame filling her features and causing fresh tears to flow.

"Hey, don't do that," Helena said quickly as she placed a firm finger under Elisa's chin, which seemed safe enough, and forced her to look back. "It's just that with my meta abilities, I rarely see someone injured as badly as you are. Should you even be up?"

Elisa gingerly wiped away her tears as she struggled to control her emotions and shrugged. "Not really, and these are supposed to be covered. But they've had me blind for the past week, and I'm tired of banging my shins against everything every time I get up. I'm not going to Goliath's funeral in a chair," she explained vehemently.

Helena nodded, and said nothing more on the matter. "So the offer still stands to go kick her ass if you want," she repeated with a grin.

Elisa managed a shaky one of her own, but shook her head. "When did you get here? No one said you were visiting."

"Probably because you were too busy scaring everyone off and going on benders all by yourself."

Elisa groaned and massaged her uninjured temple. "Jesus, does the whole world know about that?"

"Like everyone knows all about my little problem this past year," Helena answered with a sympathetic look. "See with me, it takes at least two bottles of the hard stuff to even get a buzz. So be thankful that you don't have my metabolism because you would have really been getting their panties in a twist."

Elisa snorted and then sighed. "So what brings you to Manhattan and please don't tell me it was to check up on me."

"Okay. Then I'll tell you it was to accompany my father on an informal lunch date to meet the Xanatos'."

"Your father?" Elisa gasped.

"Yeah. The big black bat you ran into back at the docks?"

"I know…it's just well with everything that has happened. I didn't know if he would stick around or not. To be honest I haven't thought about much this past week," she told the younger woman tiredly.

"Yeah, well he and Reese helped to rescue Barbara just in time. Everyone's back at the Manor now recovering. By the way, thanks for sending the kid and his Keebler pal," Helena told her sincerely. "Leslie didn't know if Dinah would have pulled through this okay without their help."

"She's ok then?"

"Talking our ears off and eating like a horse," Helena assured her with a chuckle.

"How is everyone else? I- I haven't really heard much about what happened…" Elisa admitted.

"Harley blew the Clocktower to hell and roughed Barbara up pretty good. Barbara's arm was broken pretty badly amongst other injuries. She's having to fight all her co-dependency insecurities all over again because she's pretty limited to what she can do by herself until her arm heals enough to start taking her weight again. It's healing nicely though and knowing Babs, she'll be wanting start therapy in another week," Helena told her with rolling eyes as she settled herself on the edge of the bed.

"What happened back at the docks after I left?"

"Reese left to go help my dad once he came around from Dinah's mental backlash. Gordon and the surviving metas rounded up the stragglers, and gift wrapped all the bad guys for the police. Heard you made quite a little scene with the Captain by the way. Reese said the guy was ready to have your badge, but the Chief told him to shove his own badge where the sun don't shine. Anyway, the police mopped up the scene, fed the press a slightly altered account of what happened, and everything's slowly been going back to normal."

"Quinn?"

"Harley's dead. Reese killed her," Helena answered quietly. "Her brother went straight to Arkham. Guess his girlfriend, who happens to look just like Harley, was more than a little disappointed to see him there. Tried to kill him the first night he was there," she chuckled humorlessly.

"So that's how she got out without anyone knowing?"

"Yeah, Barbara's been going over the video of this woman and its scary to see how much she resembles Harley. It's also a little creepy too, seeing as this guy was sleeping with her," she added wrinkling her nose at the thought.

Elisa nodded, and then fell silent. "So how are you doing?" Helena asked finally. She held out her hands in defense as Elisa gave her a dirty look. "Hey I've told you all about us. You don't honestly think I'm gonna come down here, risk having you hurl things at me, and not ask how you are? Come on Elisa, you know I'm all about being direct. I think I've done a pretty good job dancing around this for this long."

That got a wry smirk from the older woman, and she sighed. "Well, as Demona so tactfully pointed out, I'm a mess right now," she answered drolly. "Everything went to hell so quickly that night Helena. One second I was telling Tony to shoot me and Canmore, and the next, that crane is crashing down around Goliath. I wasn't ready to watch him die in front of me."

Helena's eyes grew distant. "I don't think anyone can ever be ready for that Elisa. But we can't change the past. All we can do is make their sacrifice worthwhile. It took me along time to realize it, and I know that it's going to take awhile for you to accept, but all we can do is learn to cope with the loss and move on. No one is expecting you come through this unscathed Elisa. But there are a lot of people here who love you and are worried that you're giving up."

"Some days, I feel like it would have been better if I had died with him that night," Elisa admitted.

"Take it from someone who's been where you're at. Don't act on those thoughts right now. All you will accomplish is hurting the people you love far more than Goliath's death has done. I tried to OD on drugs a month after my mom died, and the look in Barbara's eyes when she found me will haunt me for the rest of my life. Give it some time and you _will_ see that life moves on."

Elisa scowled up at her. "What, did you guys decide to pick a night to all gang up on me?"

"Nah, Demona just beat me to it. But I've had this speech prepared all day so I wasn't about to let all that brain work go to waste."

Elisa sighed and rubbed her hand though her hair tiredly. "This whole situation is so screwed up. He was just so…huge. He seemed larger than life, and I never thought I would be the one grieving over his grave first," Elisa said, her voice thick with emotion. "Now I've gone and hurt Angela and my family, and I have no idea how to fix any of this because I can't even think straight right now."

"Give it some time, Elisa," Helena encouraged. "Listen, I gotta head out of here pretty soon, because we're heading back to Gotham tonight. Get some rest, take some time to figure things out, and don't shut out your family. They're the ones that will help you through this, trust me on that okay?"

"Yeah…okay."

Helena stood, confident that Elisa would at least contemplate the wisdom of her words. She crossed over and bent down to gently hug the injured woman. "I'll see you in a few days. Everyone will be there for the funeral."

"Thank you. Say hi to everyone there…and tell them I'll be okay."

Helena smiled and Elisa forced herself to return it as the younger woman left. As soon as the door closed, the smile faded and the devastated woman wondered if it would really be possible to pick up the shattered pieces of her life.


	33. Now Comes the Night

A/N: Hey everyone! Well I guess being stuck at home does have one advantage…I was able to crank out this rather large section in record time. Midnite, Rogue, and Viet, thanks again for your reviews. I appreciate everyone's comments and questions, because with a story this size, they really do help me keep track of things.

To my new "bro" Denis, thanks for checking this over before I posted it. BTW for everyone's info, I have been, or will be, re-posting several chapters of my story lately and changing some small details (like Tim's age- I originally had him as a late teen. Please now consider him his proper age of a few years older than Hel) because Denis came up with an awesome idea for a sequel to this story. So, in order to have things mesh I've been making small adjustments here and there, and he's been proofing everything to make sure it'll be continuos with the sequel.

Ok, so I know this is a long A/N but I have one last thing to add. This next section touches on things of what some would consider a religious nature…and religion seems to be a touchy subject with some people. PLEASE remember this is FICTION. What I've written doesn't even really coincide with my own religious beliefs, so don't get all bent out of shape if they don't go with your own and flame me for it.

Now, with all of that said…..enjoy!

P.S. **Now Comes the Night** by Rob Thomas is a great soundtrack selection for the funeral scene. Great inspiration came from that song- hence the title of this chapter.

_**In a realm where time does not exist……..**_

"Approach valiant warrior," the Voice directed.

Goliath stepped towards the being, barely able to make out His appearance under the brilliant glow of light that He exuded. Goliath dropped to one knee before such magnificence and bowed his head low. "My Lord," he acknowledged humbly.

"Rise Goliath of Wyvern and welcome to the Rest you have so richly deserved."

"I thank you My Lord."

There was a brief pause, and Goliath felt himself being sized up. "You are saddened by your departure from the mortal life. Are you not joyous that you can now join your fallen brothers and sisters of long ago?"

There was a parting of the clouds, and off in the distance Goliath could make out the faints shapes of those who fell during the massacre. They were waiting for him. And yet he still looked away from them, and raised his head to look directly into the brilliance before him. "I long to see them Merciful One. But I have eternity to be joined with them. It is the fate of the loved ones I left behind that I worry about."

"Their fate is all the same warrior, surely you recognize that."

"I do My Lord. However…I am concerned for their well-being while they pass the years in the mortal realm. I do not wish for them to suffer because of the choice I made."

"You are a noble being Goliath. There have been few in that realm that have possessed your character and determination to uphold what is right and just. Even now, I sense your willingness to sacrifice whatever you can to make this one last thing right for those that you have left behind."

"My love for them has not diminished. I could not bare living in such peace if I knew that they suffered because I chose to give my life in place of hers," Goliath admitted honestly.

"You were destined for a difficult life the moment you were borne as a gargoyle. It was made all the more troubled with the betrayal from your own mate and the misuse of the earth's magical energies. During your time in the mortal realm you served as a guardian over humans and non-humans alike. Even here, I can see in your heart that you wish to continue your role of protector. Your trials have served you well Goliath, and for your unwavering faithfulness I hereby reward you with a choice that few who enter my realm are given."

Goliath stood, sensing it was appropriate to facing the All Mighty on his feet as he was given a chance to choose his destiny. "You have the chance to pass beyond me and enter into the Rest you have rightly earned. There, you will know a joy and peace that has no bounds, and you will be rejoined with those you have lost over the centuries. Or, you may join my legions and continue in your role of guardianship. As a warrior, you will have limited contact with those Beyond, because your focus will be kept mostly on the guidance of my children in the mortal realm."

"I…would be able to see Elisa and the rest again?" he asked, hope instantly filling his eyes.

"Yes. But your contact with them would be extremely limited. Only certain ones of my numbers are allowed to appear in form to the mortals, and you would not be one of them. The closest direct contact you could have with them would be in the Dreamworld."

"But I would be able to look after them…guide them?"

"As much as their hearts will allow it. Take care to weigh your choice carefully my son. As a Guardian, your task will not always be an easy one. Not everyone wishes to be helped, including the ones you love, and you will suffer many disappointments as you help keep at bay the forces of the Darkness which threatens to consume my children."

"My Lord…if I may be so bold," Goliath began hesitantly.

"Have no fear warrior. Ask what is in your heart."

"Why? Why do our races suffer so? Why have you not simply put an end to all of this?"

"You shall understand in due time, Goliath of Wyvern. But to put it simply, I was challenged, and I have allowed this time to pass in the mortal realm to give an answer to my adversary. Make no mistake though, my Day will come. And when I give my final answer to all who have sided with that One, there will be no question- no doubt- left in anyone's mind ever again"

Goliath bowed low once more, content with the answer and the knowledge that he would indeed, come to understand things in time. He looked up, his gaze unwavering. "It is in my very nature to protect My Lord. Even with the passage into your realm, that desire still burns bright within me. I choose to join your ranks of guardians," he told The Almighty, with firm conviction.

"Rise my son, and go with your fellow guardian brothers back to the midst of the mortal realm. They will instruct you in the ways of guiding the humans in your new form. Be cautious of the Dark One for he seeks to sway my warriors as much as he wishes to influence the mortal realm. I will summon you when I gather my armies for the Final Battle."

Several other beings of light surrounded Goliath, their presence full of warmth and invitation. One held out it's hand to him, and as he accepted it, his entire being shifted as his own body was suffused with the Light and Power no mortal could ever comprehend. Then, in the blink of an eye he was looking down on the jewel of the planet he had once called home, a single guide at his side ready to train him for his new responsibilities.

**January 10th**

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**7:00am**

"Today's top story is the funeral of the fallen leader of the gargoyle Clan Leader, Goliath, who was killed two weeks ago during the Dock Wars. For more coverage on this story we go live to Nicole St. John who is outside the Xanatos tower in downtown Manhattan. Nicole can you tell us more about the plans for this evening's funeral?"

"Well Mike, as you know all representatives for Mr. Xanatos have been very tight lipped about what is going to take place this evening in the castle that sits high above the Manhattan skyline. Just minutes ago, the business tycoon made a brief appearance to release a statement to the press. In it, he finally admitted what everyone had been speculating on for years- that the gargoyles have indeed been living within the walls of Castle Wyvern for most of this past decade. Mr. Xanatos explained that Wyvern is actually the ancestral home of this particular Clan, and as such, the ceremony will be held in the castle.

"The list of guests to tonight's ceremony is unknown, but rumor has it that some high government officials along with several prominent socialites are expected to be in attendance. Now to recap the events that have lead up to tonight's history making moment we would need to go back to when the gargoyle race came into public light several years ago, after the incident at St. Damien's Cathedral. The public's reaction was volatile to say the least as hundreds flocked into the ranks of the anti-gargoyle movement: The Quarrymen. The Quarrymen were officially denounced and disbanded by public officials when their quest for genocide endangered hundreds of human lives. The gargoyles- and Goliath in particular-were credited with the saving of those lives.

"After the small Clan saved the train full of passengers, they quietly stepped out of the public spotlight. Sources in both the NYPD and New Gotham PD were able to confirm that Detective Elisa Maza- an officer consistently linked with the gargoyles- traveled to New Gotham with Goliath and another clan member. Their mission: to track down the source of the infamous black market HQ gun that had been responsible for the deaths of over fifty people, including eight officers, in the past six months. After two weeks of undercover work, they not only found out where the guns were being manufactured, but who was behind this elaborate plot. Jon Canmore, the former leader of The Quarrymen, had joined forces with the notorious Harley Quinn, and her believed-to-be-dead brother Jacob Quinn.

"What ensued during the early morning hours of Christmas Day can only be described as an epic battle between the forces of good and evil. The Dock Wars, as they have been officially dubbed, resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. When the dust finally settled, justice had prevailed, but not without sacrifices. In New Gotham, sources revealed that a private funeral was held last week for the unsung- and civilian- heroes who gave their lives in the battle fought at the New Gotham docks. Here in Manhattan, the actual loss of life is unknown, with the sole exception of Goliath."

"Nicole, will there be any press allowed to the event?"

"Mr. Xanatos explained that he would allow a very small delegation from the press. They would be hand-picked, and informed of their invitation about an hour before the funeral. He explained that this delegation would be allowed access on several terms only, however. He stated that anyone invited could not bring a camera of any kind to the ceremony, and any reporters who are invited may discreetly conduct interviews only with those in attendance who wish it. If any of the guests is upset by the presence of the press, the entire contingent will be asked to leave."

"Mr. Xanatos has set some very strict conditions," the anchor stated disapprovingly.

"Indeed he has. He stated that this was a private ceremony, and not to be turned into a media circus, and that the few reporters who will be chosen should consider themselves lucky that the Clan has decided to allow some press coverage of the event."

"You said private Nicole, but I understand the request to be on the invited guest list is quite extensive, and our sources have said that security in and around the Xanatos building is being beefed up considerably in preparation for tonight's guests."

"That is true Mike. As I said earlier, there have been no confirmed reports of who will be in attendance tonight, but we have confirmed that a small fleet of Xanatos Industries will be arriving steadily throughout the day with guests from around the globe. It is also expected that a small delegation of police officers and top police officials will be present along with the Mayor and the Governor."

"Earlier you mentioned Detective Maza who was said to be gravely injured during the battle. Has there been any word on the detective's condition yet?"

"There has been no official statement on her current condition Mike. An eyewitness to the fight on the docks here in Manhattan, informed us that Detective Maza was indeed severely injured in the fight. Some unconfirmed reports indicated that her injuries may have cost the officer her sight, but again, I must stress that is an unconfirmed report. Considering how closely linked she has been with the gargoyles all these years, one can easily assume she is very close to the Clan. I'm sure that if she is able, she will be there tonight and we will know further about her condition at that point."

"Thank you Nicole. We'll continue to check in with you through out the day to keep our audience updated on any further developments in this story."

Xanatos clicked off the television and turned to Owen. "That woman isn't to be allowed anywhere near the castle tonight. She's caused me one too many headaches in the past and I'm sure as hell not going to give her the satisfaction of getting a scoop on a story like this. Invite that new guy that fills in for her, he's not as nosey yet and considerably more tactful."

"Very good sir. I will see to it. Have you decided on any other reporters you wish to allow?"

"Hudson likes that one anchor from CNN that he watches all the time. She's less of a shark compared to the others as well. And call up Tom Brokaw, he knows how to handle a situation as delicate as this. The man can mingle with the best and not make it look like he's interviewing them. I think that will cover it."

"Would you like me to call Mr. Brokaw now before I inform the other two?"

"Yes, and tell him to please keep his invitation a secret."

"Of course sir. I'll see to the arrangements. The plane from Guatemala will be landing shortly with Obsidiana and the second one from London will arrive a half hour later."

"And the Ishimura delegation?"

"The pilot checked in and they will arrive as scheduled at noon."

"Excellent. How about the rest of the guests traveling in?"

"Sir Arthur has arranged for his own transportation with Griff, and they should be here within the next few hours. The Secretary of the Interior will be flying in this evening and will be here about an hour before the ceremony is to begin. The UN Secretary General is already in town for a conference, and the Director of the FBI is scheduled to check into the local field office early this afternoon. They are going to inform us of his arrival and will see to his transportation themselves. The guests from New Gotham will all be arriving early this afternoon as well."

"Excellent. Fox said her mother has already contacted her about the delegation coming from Avalon- which is the entire clan from what I understand. Titania herself is expected to attend, so perhaps you can discuss the situation with Alexander with her. Well, it seems you have everything under control Owen. I'm going to go eat breakfast with my family before I'm scheduled to meet with Dominique about the possible business venture with Bruce."

"If that will be all then sir?"

"Carry on Owen. Fox should be down in about an hour to head over the airport to help fly some of our stone guests to the castle with the helicopter."

"Thank you sir. I'll be up in the Great Hall if you should need me for anything."

Noon…… 

Fox Xanatos waited near her helicopter as the private jet taxied into the hanger. As soon as the engines were shut off, the employees quickly moved into action, carefully off-loading the precious cargo under her watchful eye.

"Busy day today isn't it Mrs. X?" the crew chief asked her with a grin after he shouted for two men to handle one of the crates with more care.

"That it is Chuck. To be honest though, it's been nice to get out for a little while."

"Yeah, it's been a couple of months since you've been behind the stick," he chuckled. "Figured you'd be coming up with an excuse to get some air time in pretty soon. Shame, that these circumstances would be the reason. But, I wouldn't trust no one else to make sure these guys get to the castle in one piece."

"Your men have done an excellent job today Chuck. See to it that the rest of the guests arrive without a hitch, and there will be a big bonus for every one of you."

"You know a man like me don't need extra money Mrs. X. But I'm sure the rest of the men will be happy to hear that they can pay off their Christmas debts early this year."

"Tell you what, the rest will get their bonus and you can help me test fly the new bird XI is building out in California next month."

"Now _that_ sounds like a deal boss!" he laughed, shaking her hand on it and then jogging off to yell more instructions to the forklift operator.

**3:00 PM**

"Oh my god, this place is even cooler in real life!" Dinah gasped as she stepped out of the elevator and into the massive stone entryway.

"Yeah they have quite the spread here. But our butler is way cooler than theirs."

Alfred cleared his throat, doing his utmost to look dignified. "I'm sure Mr. Burnett is a very capable assistant to Mr. Xanatos."

Helena just looked at him, one eyebrow raised and the older man finally allowed a tiny smile. "However I thank you for the vote of confidence. Miss Helena."

Helena grinned and the man in question appeared at the end of the hall and approached the small group. "Good afternoon, I am Owen Burnett- personal assistant to Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos. If you should require anything, please do not hesitate to let me know. The ceremony is expected to begin around seven in the Great Hall. There is a dinner being prepared for all the guests who are arriving here early and it will be served in the dining hall at five. You are welcome to attend, and are of course welcome to tour about the castle. Here is a map of the castle, a list of all unrestricted areas you may feel free to visit, and a cell phone programmed to reach either myself or one of the Xanatos' should you need anything."

"Will we be seeing Mr. Xanatos or his wife before the funeral?" Bruce asked.

"They will be present at the dinner, and Mr. Xanatos mentioned that he may be contacting you for a small meeting if time permits. The sun will set at four forty this evening, if you wish to watch the gargoyles wake up. Quarters have been provided for each of our guests, so when you enter the second level, an assistant will show you to your designated rooms and wait on any needs you may have. I have some final preparations to attend to, so if you will not be needing anything else?"

Alfred once again cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Mr. Burnett perhaps I could be of some assistance to you?"

"You are a guest here sir. I would not ask-"

"Nonsense!" Alfred dismissed with a wave. "You obviously have important tasks to oversee before tonight, and I'm sure constantly having to break away to greet guests is slowing down progress."

Owen hesitated, looked over the group who didn't seem startled in the least bit by Alfred's offer, and then back at the elderly gentleman. "It would be helpful if someone with experience could receive the guests while I focused on the final preparations," he admitted finally.

"Alfred here has received his fair share of dignitaries and politicians over the years Owen. I wouldn't mind loaning him to you for the evening if it is agreeable to him. Tonight is a big night for everyone, and I know the pressure of wanting everything to go off perfectly," Bruce added.

"Thank you both for your generosity. If you will accompany me back to the Great Hall then, I will see to it that you are given a quick tour of the Castle so that you may personally escort our guests to their quarters."

"There's no need for that Mr. Burnett. I took it upon myself to study the floor plans of your magnificent home and memorize the layout of each level. If I should have any troubles I will contact you, but I am confident that everything will run smoothly."

The blonde man nodded once. "That is very thoughtful of you sir. I will check in with you in about an hour to see how things are progressing."

The small contingent from New Gotham chuckled as Burnett left. "See? I was right," Helena smirked.

"You memorized the floor plans?" Barbara asked Alfred with a raised eyebrow.

"Some of us have a difficult time navigating large buildings when we are without the aid of a GPS unit," he answered pointedly.

"That's not fair!" Tim pouted.

"I was half asleep!" Dinah piped up.

"You could fit my entire apartment in just our bedroom," Reese groused at the same time.

Laughter broke out from the rest of the group, and Alfred merely shrugged. "I felt it best to know where everything was in case one of us…strayed into unfamiliar territory."

"Point taken. I guess we'll see you later then Alfred."

"Have fun old friend," Bruce added as he and Helena began to lead the group down the hallway to show them around.

"Indeed. I look forward to doing this more often in the near future," the older man added quietly to himself as they disappeared around a corner, their laughter echoing along the stone walls.

FBI New York Branch 

"I have those reports you requested sir."

"Excellent. I'll look them over when I head back to Washington to report to the President in the morning. For now, I want your take on the gargoyles. Do they present a threat to national security?"

Agent Connors shifted, and tilted his head to one side. "Wouldn't the D.E.O. branch back in Quantico be the best section of the Bureau to answer that question sir?"

"While I'm sure that Director Chloe Sullivan's group is quite competent in their jobs and this would fall within their field of expertise, the gargoyles live here and it was _you_ that I asked to keep tabs on them. Besides, I want to be sure that Sullivan isn't another Amanda Waller in the making, and that comment is to _neve_r leave this room. Now, do you feel that they are a threat to national security."

"No sir, I strongly feel that they do not pose a threat to us or any nation they may reside in. We have been monitoring their activities closely since their existence was first confirmed five years ago. They exhibit an almost instinctual need to protect and they have done so on a number of occasions at the risk of their own lives. The Dock Wars are a perfect example of that fact."

"Yes, but they work outside the law," the Director pointed out as he poured himself a glass of water.

Connors smiled. "Some would argue that we do as well sir."

The Director chuckled and took a sip. His expression suddenly grew grim and he set the glass down as he turned to face the agent. "About the Dock Wars. How is it that none of our intelligence saw this coming? We could have had another 9/11 on our hands, only this time it would be from our own people."

"There had been some intel about possible movements from both Quinn and Canmore sir. But it had been dirtied up by contacts of theirs on the inside."

The Director looked shocked. "You mean to say we have one of _their_ moles inside?"

The agent nodded grimly. "More than one sir. We cleaned house several months ago and ferried out four of the bastards, but they never talked. We have no idea how many there are- it can't be more than a small handful- but we are still trying to discreetly flush them out."

"Why wasn't I notified of this situation?"

"Sir, the problem is not with the gargoyles…it's with us. There are a lot of anti-gargoyle sympathizers out there. I have some of my top profilers working on screening out those within this branch that may be among them. It is a tedious process, that must be conducted discreetly."

"Have you had any success with this process?"

"Considerable sir. We started the screening process about a year ago, and have been keeping a close eye on any who have been flagged. Three of those under surveillance, turned out to be amongst Canmore's informants."

"And the rest?"

"Only two have been false alarms. The rest are under a quiet internal investigation for questionable dealings. I believe the near future will most likely provide us with ample opportunity to see how they are going to react to the gargoyles coming into an international spotlight."

"Keep a close watch on this Connors. There are a large number of politicians who are lobbying that the President address this situation on a national level. This city's Mayor is determined to grant them citizenship and the Secretary of the Interior is going to be there tonight. I already know he wants to push for a Bill that will not only protect their race, but grant any Clan who lives within our country full and legal citizenship. The Supreme Court has been appraised of the situation and are already meeting quietly about this. The last thing we need when the media sharks start feeding off this, is to have people within our own government trying to sabotage our system."

"I'm taking extreme precautions to make sure this doesn't blow up in our faces sir."

"It better not. The President has made it quite clear that he will not tolerate some kind of civil war during his watch. God knows we already have enough on our plates to worry about. Find these moles and clean them out immediately Connors."

"Yes sir. May I ask a question sir?"

"Possibly."

"The scale of this thing was far larger than _any_ of the intel we had received. There were over one hundred men at the train yards, and nearly the same number at the dock. The report from New Gotham indicated that there were almost two hundred of Quinn's people either arrested or killed. How on earth did a handful of civilians and a small contingent of cops beat those odds? Something's being left out of these reports."

The Director nodded in agreement. "You should have heard the Secretary of Defense after he read the initial report. He insists there is no way to beat those odds given the foot troops those cops had as backup. There have been certain details that were omitted in the official reports, but have come to my attention over the last couple of weeks and I will be checking into them. In the meantime, I want you to keep your eye out for any unusual activity or reports over the next few months. I don't care how ridiculous it may sound."

"You mean more unusual than vigilantes and gargoyles teaming up to take down the largest weapons shipment in history?" Connors asked with a chuckle.

"Which reminds me, I'm told that the local police worked with a small group of the Mafia in both cities as well."

"Detective Maza of the NYPD is said to have gained her information from Tony Dracon, the local mob boss who was in prison at the time. Apparently, she had strings pulled, because he was let out on good behavior shortly after she left town to contact Detective Jesse Reese of the NGPD. Most of their help that night probably came from outside resources since both of them were aware that there were too many ears within both local and federal agencies."

"How on earth would they know about our situation, when I wasn't even aware of it?"

"Detective Maza's partner is Matthew Bluestone- a former agent of mine who is still in contact with us on occasion. He's a clean cop and was a good agent. Bluestone's helped us out from time to time, and he was informed to be careful in giving any information that was gargoyle related to contacts that I hadn't cleared."

"The mob though? How do we know that the cops involved in this whole mess are really clean? These people are up for commendation from the President. It wouldn't look to good if, a year from now, they're being hauled up on charges of conspiracy."

"I've had an extensive background check run on every officer involved in that shootout. Every one of them is as clean as you can get. Sure, some of them have little black marks on their records, but nothing indicates any connection to the mob- quite the opposite in fact. I think it came down to plain and simple numbers sir. These people knew they were going into a fight severely outnumbered and they took the help from the one source they knew they could trust, because the mob had just as much to lose if this shipment wasn't stopped."

"It'll be interesting to hear what they each have to say about that. This Detective Maza, have you offered her a position yet?"

A disappointed look crossed through Connors' eyes. "I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible sir. Detective Maza is a street cop, there's no way she'd drive a desk here."

"Then offer her a field position."

"I'm sorry, I thought you had been aware of the severity of the injuries she sustained in the fight. Detective Maza could never pass the field exams because she has lost sight in one eye. Her depth perception is now gone."

The Director sighed. If she had lost her depth perception, it was also unlikely that she would be allowed back on the street in the Department as well. "Damn shame. I was looking forward to meeting her."

"You will sir. Detective Bluestone assured me she would be in attendance for tonight's ceremony."

"She's on her feet already?"

"Despite her doctor's constant protests, from what I've been told."

The Director looked thoughtful for a minute and then set his glass down. "Call my car Connors. And remember…don't screw this up."

"I won't sir."

The Director nodded and then exited the large office. As soon as the door shut, Connors picked up his phone and called for the Director's transport and then sank into his chair after hanging up the phone. With a troubled sigh he pulled out a small flask from a locked drawer and dribbled a little of it's contents into his tonic water.

"What the hell was I thinking when I took this job?" he muttered to himself as he sipped directly from the flask and turned his chair to watch over the city far below.

In the Castle Courtyard…… 

Obsidiana slowly walked around the stone forms of her distant cousins, smiling as she came upon Angela and Bronx. "Just as I remember you."

"Good Heavens! How is it that you aren't stone?" a voice exclaimed, startling the gargoyle from her examinations of her kin. She turned to see a noble looking man dressed in what appeared to be formal attire of the British Court.

"The sun amulet I wear allows me to remain in my flesh form during the day. There are only four remaining in my Clan, so we only sleep in stone when it is necessary."

"Incredible. Forgive me of my rudeness though. I am Arthur Pendragon," he introduced with a courtly bow.

"And I am Obsidiana of the Guatemalan Clan. I have heard of your name. Elisa and Angela spoke of you when they stayed with us."

"Yes, we have run into them several times over the years now," he chuckled quietly. "I travel with Griff there most of the time," he said as he gestured to his friend's frozen form. "'Tis a great shame that I would be returning here under these circumstances."

Obsidiana nodded, looking back over the many statues that now decorated Castle Wyvern's courtyard. "I wish my Clan could be here to witness such an awakening," she said sadly.

"With only four, I can only imagine how incredible this evening's sunset will be for you. I believe the only ones used to waking in large numbers would be your kin from Japan."

"Hey, I thought you said they all slept during the day," a second voice said, as a small group of humans wandered across the courtyard. One of them, a woman with striking red hair and sitting in a wheeled chair nodded.

"Most of them do. But one small Clan wear special pendants that allow them to remain awake, and given the color of your skin I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you must be Obsidiana." The redhead held out the arm that wasn't injured for a handshake.

"And you have _got_ to be Arthur," the slim brunette standing next to her decided as she took in Arthur's clothes.

"I am My Lady. But I believe you have us at a disadvantage since it appears neither of us have the slightest clue as to who you and your friends may be," he said cordially.

"We're from New Gotham," Helena answered as she shook his hand firmly. "We worked with Elisa and the others to take down Canmore and Quinn."

"You were with them that night then…when Goliath fell in battle?" Obsidiana asked quietly.

"Elisa was with most of us for part of the night before she hopped on that boat back to Manhattan. Dick was with Goliath and Hudson on the train, but Goliath took off after Elisa as soon as he got into town and heard she was on her way to a second rendezvous point. None of us were actually with them when he was killed. We didn't know about it until later that night," Barbara answered quietly.

"'Twas a noble thing all of you did."

Helena shrugged, a sad smile crossing her lips. "It's what all of us do though right?"

"It is our calling," Obsidiana acknowledged.

"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm freezing out here and there's still a little while left before the sun sets. They have a bunch of snacks and coffee set up in one of the entertainment rooms," Reese suggested as he rubbed his hands together vigorously.

Helena chuckled. "Is that all you cops ever think about?" she asked her boyfriend with a raised eyebrow.

"This, from the woman with the bottomless stomach?" he teased back.

"Coffee sounds excellent. Griff teases me, saying the reason we were in the Dark Ages for so long was that we didn't have coffee. I'm inclined to agree with him now that I find myself unable to function in the early morning hours without it."

With several nods and verbal agreements, the group headed inside to warm up and get their caffeine fix.

"Mr. Xanatos."

"Yes Owen?"

"Sir I'm picking up two unscheduled incoming arrivals to the castle."

Xanatos sat up in his chair and punched a button on his desk revealing a wall of security screens. "Have we identified the incoming party?"

"I don't have anything on visual yet sir, but their signature is unmistakable. It appears Coldstone and Coldfire heard of Goliath's demise and have returned home for the funeral."

Xanatos watched the screens for a moment longer and then nodded, satisfied. "See to it they are welcomed and updated on what has been happening Owen."

"Yes sir."

"Are the guests settled in yet Owen?"

"The Director is on his way over as we speak, the Secretary of the Interior is in-bound, and the UN Secretary General just arrived. Everyone else, has arrived and most of them are mingling in the entertainment rooms."

"Excellent. I'm sure that they are probably aware of the time, but would you please see to it that all of our guests are informed of when the gargoyles will awaken."

"I'll make sure both Alfred and myself see to it."

"Alfred?"

"Mr. Wayne's butler and personal assistant sir. He insisted on helping, and Mr. Wayne generously offered his services. His arrival was actually very timely, and has allowed me to personally oversee dinner arrangements while he greets the incoming guests."

Xanatos grinned. "Is that a hint that maybe I should get you more help Owen?"

"Of course not sir. Merely an observation."

"Then by all means don't let me keep you."

"Fox! I've been searching all over this blasted place for you!" an accented voice called out to the redhead as she ushered Alex towards his room to get changed for the evening.

"Dingo?" she asked turning around and then laughed as her old comrade grabbed her in a fierce hug.

"You look great Janie," he said, calling her by the old nickname as he held her out to arm's length for inspection.

"You don't look too bad yourself Henry," she grinned back.

"Good heavens is this your son?" he asked amazed as he crouched down to greet the child.

"See what happens when you don't visit old friends?" she teased him.

"Hey there little mate," Dingo grinned at the boy.

"Where's your suit with the nanos? Alex asked as he shook the large man's hand.

"Ah, so your mum's been tellin' stories about me now has she?"

"She told me all about the Pack and how you an' Goliath went to the Dreamworld to stop the Matrix from taking over!"

"Was quite a battle that one. Well given the occasion, I felt it would be more appropriate to wear this suit tonight mate. The Matrix is back home keepin' an eye on things for me while I'm away."

"You left the Matrix by itself?" Fox asked, a little concern entering her eyes.

Dingo shrugged as he stood back up. "It's quite amazing Fox, but I think the Matrix is even beginning to grasp certain human concepts- like mercy. It's consciousness has certain evolved over the last few years, and I haven't worried about it going rogue on me in a long time." His tone softened a bit as he looked at his old comrade. "You could have called me Fox. Anytime an old mate of mine needs me, I'll be there."

Fox ducked his head. "I know Henry. Things have just been so chaotic lately….and my mind wasn't clear when all of this started."

"Hey now, don't go blaming yourself Janie. I'm only one man…Matrix or not."

"I know. It's just frustrating to have all this power at your fingertips, and still be helpless to prevent the death of a friend," she sighed. "Well I have to get Alex dressed for tonight- I promised him we wouldn't miss all the gargoyles waking up."

"I'll see you up top in a little bit then."

"Oh and Henry? Remember that we have some top officials here tonight…like the Director of the FBI. Watch yourself around him."

"Thanks for the heads up mate and don't worry. I won't be keepin' conversation with him too much tonight."

**Sunset……**

Elisa looked down on the courtyard from her window and sighed. She used to look forward to this moment every night for the better part of a decade. Now, even with the spectacular sight below her, it only brought her grief and pain. It saddened her greatly that Goliath would never be able to see so many of his kin waking up together in his ancestral home. She watched the growing crowd below, surprised at some of the old familiar faces present, as well as some of the newer ones.

She almost smirked when she watched Tony Dracon boldly brush past the FBI Director, his smug grin apparent, even from her position. But inside she felt too numb to manage even that. There was a soft knock at her door and Matt poked his head inside the room. "Hey partner, they're about to wake up," he told her softly.

"Yeah, I know," she whispered back, fighting the tears.

"Want some company?" he asked as he came over to stand next to her.

"Not really."

"Good, neither did I right now," answered with a half smile as he simply stood next to her and looked down into the courtyard.

The Secretary of the Interior rushed out to the courtyard with moments left to spare and stood slightly breathless next to the Director.

"You made good time," the Director mumbled quietly.

"I cut my last meeting short. I wasn't about to miss something like this. Very few people have actually witnessed them coming out of their stone sleep."

"I think most of those that have, are standing here in this group, and even they seemed to be excited by the fact that there are so many gargoyles here at one time."

"It's starting!" the Secretary whispered in awe, craning his head forward as the sun dipped below the horizon and the tell-tale cracking noises began.

The group held a collective breath as stone fell away, limbs and wings stretched and then they all gasped as one as ear-piercing roars filled the night air. After the noise died down, the gargoyles shook the remaining stone from clothing and hair and turned to greet their stunned audience. The silence was broken as a young child broke from his mother's grasp and bolted across the flagstones. "Uncle Lex your friends are all here!" the boy giggled as he leapt into the diminutive gargoyle's arms.

"Amazing," the Secretary breathed.

The Director was silently forced to admit that he had to agree. The child's display of trust and carelessness with the creatures as he eagerly greeted each of them, was astounding. A look over towards the Xanatos couple showed no hint of concern or worry on either parent's face, as several of the guest gargoyles submitted to being touched, petted, and even crawled on by the curious youth.

Once the various Clan members had acquainted themselves with each other, they turned their attention on the small crowd braving the frigid air to greet them. Brooklyn stepped forward, his back a bit straighter as he addressed the group. "I am Brooklyn, Leader of Clan Wyvern. On behalf of my Clan, I would like to thank each of you who have come here tonight. We look forward to getting to know all of you better, but we have some final preparations to attend to before the ceremony. Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos have graciously seen to it that a dinner has been prepared for all of you. Please enjoy the meal, and we will see all of you at the ceremony."

With that Clan Wyvern began to detach itself from the mingling crowd of humans and gargoyles. Brooklyn caught the attention of Coldstone and Coldfire and motioned for them to join the Clan as they moved inside the castle.

Elisa finally tore her gaze away from the scene below, her vision mostly blurred. "God I'm so sorry Elisa," Matt whispered in a choked voice from next to her.

Elisa looked over at her partner, shocked by the raw emotion she saw on his face for the first time ever. "Damnit, I should have gone with my gut and met you down at that dock. You're my partner…I should have had your back and I let you down. I-.."

Elisa cut off his self-loathing with a touch to his arm. "It's not your fault Matt," she whispered hoarsely. "It's not your fault."

He pulled her into a hug. "It wasn't yours either Elisa. We were outnumbered, and there was just too much happening that night. Please don't do this to yourself. Don't let Canmore beat you like this," he pleaded.

The tears she had been trying to keep in check, mingled with his as she clung to him as she trembled in his grasp. "He took everything from me Matt…everything…."

"There are still a lot of people here who love you….please don't forget about us. Don't shut us out."

Elisa said nothing, simply allowed her partner to hold her for a little while longer until her trembling abated, and his own tears dried. When she finally lifted her head, he was still deeply troubled by the emptiness in her eye. "Elisa, I meant what I said. Don't shut us out."

"I'm trying Matt," she answered with a weak and shaky smile. "Now get out of here. It's going to take me forever to get dressed, so I had better get started."

"I'll be down the hall if you need anything."

She merely nodded and turned towards the bed where her garment bag was laid out. With a quiet sigh to himself, Matt wiped his face and left his partner to her task.

"Mrs. Xanatos it's time," Owen murmured to her quietly.

Fox smiled graciously at her guests and rose from the table. "If you will excuse me Mr. Secretary…Director…we have some late arrivals that I should greet personally."

Both men stood slightly as she rose and left. The FBI Director looked over at Xanatos with a raised eyebrow. "Her mother," Xanatos explained. "And some…close relatives of the Clan who are the Honor Guard for tonight's ceremony."

Fox punched in her security code to the lowest level of the castle that was only accessible to a certain privileged few. Owen followed her into the large empty room, and nodded. Fox closed her eyes, and focused her mind to one single task.

"You've been practicing my daughter," Queen Titania answered in approval a moment later.

Fox opened her eyes to see her mother standing there next to a glowing portal. "Well the way things have been going lately, I figured it was time I brush up on my last resort skills. Is the Clan ready?"

"They are all gathered," Titania nodded, and with a wave of her hand the portal widened and one after another, the Avalon Clan stepped through into the real world.

Fox looked over the healthy Clan and their two guardians, resplendent in their finest clothing , and what appeared to be a traditional Scottish Plaid held in place across each of their chests by a broach bearing the Wyvern crest. She turned to her mother and raised an eyebrow. "They are of Wyvern decent my dear. As far as anyone knows, Avalon is a little known island off the coast of Scotland."

Fox nodded in approval as she turned to address the group. "I'm sure this is all going to be a bit overwhelming for some of you, so I have one request on Brooklyn's behalf. Please be careful of what you say and whom you say it too. My mother has told me that she's briefed all of you about the danger's of our world, and that the general public has no knowledge of Avalon, magic or the Third Race for that matter. Owen here is going to take you all upstairs and give you a brief tour of the castle, along with a quick explanation of who is in attendance here tonight and who you may talk freely with. Brooklyn said he will stop in shortly to inform you of how things will be handled."

"One of us should stay with you My Lady," Gabriel suggested as Titania moved to leave with Fox.

"It's quite alright Gabriel. We are amongst friends here, some people just don't need to know everything about us. If I should require any assistance, I will summon you immediately."

"As you wish My Queen."

"Now where is my grandson? I understand he has become quite a handful lately…."

Demona walked into the Library, and felt emotion well up in her chest as she gazed over the healthy Avalon tribe. She had been so angry with Goliath for his decision, and yet it seemed that not even she could have imagined a better outcome. Their numbers were thriving, some even beginning to show signs of carrying the next generation. And as much as she had hated the fact that Goliath had left them there after Oberon and Titania had returned, it appeared they were content with their role as Oberon's Guard.

Brooklyn finished with his instructions to the Clan and then dismissed them back into Owen's care, as he led them to the Great Hall where the ceremony would begin shortly. Demona threaded her way past the group, trying to ignore some of the startled and concerned looks she was given by those that recognized her. She walked by Hudson, who was fiddling with the adjustment of his own Plaid and straightened the broach.

"You realize the plaid wasn't around for several centuries after Wyvern fell," she chuckled as he grumbled about how many times he had already stabbed himself with the pin.

"Aye, but it's a part of our heritage an' Brooklyn wanted to make this somethin' special."

"I have to admit, that I thought you would all look little ridiculous in this outfit, but it suits all of you very well."

Hudson snorted. "Och, don't give him anymore ideas lass. He's already thinking of trading in his loincloth for a kilt."

"Hey can you blame me, it's a lot more comfortable than the loincloth. And I'm not the only one. Angela likes it better too," Brooklyn said in his defense as he straightened his own clothing and nodded in Angela's direction.

Demona smiled fondly at her daughter, who was dressed in a similar fashion. But where the males simply wore the plaid across their bare chests, she was wearing a very modified version of a white peasant's blouse. Walking over to the younger woman, she helped her retie the laced front properly. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you. Brooklyn's right though, and it would be nice to have a change of style."

"Perhaps in another couple of nights you could come over and we can dig through my closet and see if we can't alter a few clothes."

"I would like that."

Brooklyn cleared his throat, and Demona turned around, sensing he was asking for her attention. The rest of the Clan had been unusually quiet since she entered, so she looked at him patiently. "Demona, I….as Leader, I would like to formally invite you to rejoin the Clan."

Demona blinked, clearly not expecting that. Then she took a moment to look at the expressions of everyone around her. Angela was of course hopeful looking, Hudson was a little harder to read, but she saw no signs of disapproval in his eyes. Both Broadway and Lex seemed at ease with the offer, but when she looked back at Brooklyn, she could see the nervousness in his eyes and the tension in his lean frame.

The immortal stepped forward, and when he did not flinch, rested her talons on his shoulders and smirked. "Brooklyn, as tempting as the offer sounds, and as hard as I know it was for you to ask me, I think we both know that probably wouldn't be in everyone's best interests." She felt him sigh silently, and the shoulders beneath her hands lifted every so slightly.

"But…mother.." Angela began.

Demona turned to her daughter, and reached out for her hand. "Shhh. It's okay Angela. It's just that too much has passed between all of us and my life has taken a different path now. I have built a new life for myself and there are a lot of people who are depending on me to keep that life going." She looked back at Brooklyn her gaze growing serious.

"I want you to know that even though I am refusing your…generous offer, that does not mean I am turning my back on the Clan. Just as Elisa has been there for you all these years, I too will be here when you need me."

"I know," Brooklyn answered sincerely as he held out his arm. She accepted it and he held her gaze as he spoke his next words. "Just as we will be here for you as well. You don't have to be alone anymore Demona."

Demona didn't, and couldn't, say anything to that as her talons tightened on his arm. He rescued her from an emotional awkward moment of silence by nodding to Lex who came over with a small bag. "Even though you are officially not a part of this Clan, you were still his mate and Angela's mother. Would you stand with us tonight…as family?"

Demona had to clear her throat as Lex pulled out clothing similar to what Angela was now wearing. "I would be honored," she managed.

Elisa limped towards the Library doors and closed her eye as she rested her hand on the handle. Brooklyn had come to her the previous night, to tell her of what he had been contemplating. She had to give him a lot of credit. Of all the Clan, she had anticipated the most hostility towards Demona to come from him given their past. The amount of restraint and leniency he had shown around her had been remarkable to say the least. But to be willing to bury the hatchet- even if he admitted that he'd still be keeping an eye on it- was the most noble act she had seen from him yet.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself. She would not continue to let the clan down. Even if it meant that she had to bury the hurt deep inside where they couldn't see, she would protect them from anymore harm. Opening the door, she hobbled inside and looked the group over.

"About time all of you got a change of style," she said, as she tried her best to smirk despite the pain that still lanced through her face by any facial movements.

"Elisa!" Angela called out as she rushed over to her friend's side.

Elisa was in her dress uniform, white gloves and hat in place, and a large bandage covered and protected the left side of her face. "Hey Angela."

"You look better."

"Yeah well, I finally took someone's advice and got some rest. Listen… about what I said the other night…"

"It's okay Elisa. I shouldn't have pushed you, and you were in a lot of pain."

"I never meant to hurt you Angela…any of you," she added looking the group over. "And if I seem a little distant in the weeks to come, please don't take it personally. I just have to get my head on straight as someone advised me," she finished, with her gaze settling on Demona. Then she smirked.

"So does this mean you're back in?"

"And trade in my plush life for wandering around in Manhattan's ghettos at night, helping stupid people that get themselves into the bad situations you guys are having to constantly save them from?"

Elisa chuckled, a little surprised to find that it was genuine. "Didn't want to give up the day job huh? Even you have to see a little irony in that."

"A disturbing amount actually," Demona admitted.

"Well, I guess it's about time for this to begin. I'll let you guys get to it."

"Elisa wait…." Brooklyn said before she could leave.

"Please stand with us. Everyone out there knows you've been with us from the start. They don't have to know just how involved you were with Goliath."

Elisa looked down at the red talon covering her hand. "I'm sorry Brooklyn, but I just can't. It's hard enough to be on flag detail for this, but if I go out there with you, as family….." she shook her head as her throat threatened to close up. "It's still too much, too soon."

"Okay," he said quietly. His hand held onto hers for a moment longer. "But you are still Clan, nothing will ever change that." Demona cleared her throat and he had to grin slightly. "Okay, so if you go postal and try to wipe out humanity, we might have to kick you out," he added, trying to lighten things back up again.

Elisa snorted softly, and he let her go. "You've come a long way Brook," she said sincerely. "Goliath would have been very proud of you, because I know I am." She gave him a tenuous smile and then limped away before she lost control of her emotions once more.

The Clan watched her go and then Brooklyn sighed. "It's time. Coldstone and Coldfire are probably waiting for us."

Elisa approached the gathered officers, and noticed that there were both NYPD and NGPD uniforms present. Reese looked up from where he was speaking with Matt and both men approached her. "Hey Elisa," Reese greeted softly, concern in his eyes. Elisa gave him a fake smile and cleared her throat.

"Not now Reese," she asked gently. "Make the mascara run and all," she added with a forced chuckle.

"Yeah…ok," he sighed. "But-,"

"I know Reese….and thanks," she whispered before limping over to Captain Chavez for a final inspection of her uniform.

"Everything in order Captain?" she asked, her voice thick with unshed tears.

Of all the people around her, Maria Chavez was perhaps the one person who fully understood what Elisa was going through right now. It was probably why she had also been the one person to not come and visit her during her last two weeks of hell. The police Captain's eyes were filled with a distant sadness as she fiddled with Elisa's badge, picked at imaginary lint, and straightened her cap. "No…it's not. But with a little time, it will be Elisa," Chavez answered, referring to an entirely different matter.

Elisa cleared her throat. "Thank you Captain."

Xanatos came out into the hallway and nodded to Brooklyn who had just arrived with the clan. "The guests are settled and ready."

The officers lined up as the Manhattan Royal Pipe and Drum Brigade readied themselves at the head of the funeral procession. Elisa closed her good eye as the first notes of the tradition funeral march began, and cleared her mind of everything. She focused on the single task of staying on her feet for the night, and shoved her emotions to the side as a numbness settled over her once more.

The line of officers slowly marched into the Great Hall, past the Avalon Honor Guard, past the rows of guests, to the front of the Hall where they ascended the three steps to line up along the wall. Thankfully, Matt was behind her, to help her when she nearly stumbled as her healing leg protested taking her weight going up the last step. The pain was a welcome distraction, for it helped dull the growing ache in her heart as the clan entered the room with Goliath's casket carefully perched on their shoulders.

Angela and Demona proceeded the rest, the young woman's head bent as the finality of this moment settled on her shoulders, and grief began to overcome her brave resolve to be strong. Even Demona had unshed tears glittering in her eyes as the two made their way to the front. Bronx trailed after them, a forlorn look in the garbeast's expression, and he paused halfway down the aisle to let out a low crooning wail.

The Avalon Honor Guard unfurled their wings with a leathery snap, and angled them forward and upwards as Goliath's coffin was slowly moved down their ranks. The crowd had been compelled to its feet by this time, and there were fresh tears spilled from many as the warrior's encased body passed by to be settled carefully on the stone by Hudson, Brooklyn, Lex, Broadway, Coldstone, and Coldfire.

Brooklyn stepped up to the podium and the audience seated itself, still silent. The Clan Leader cleared his throat and smiled nervously at the crowd before him. "Normally, our death ceremony is a bit smaller and with a lot less formality. But for those of you who got to know Goliath….well it only seemed fitting to adapt and combine some of our rituals with yours. On behalf of myself and Clan Wyvern, I would like to thank all of you for coming tonight. I would also like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos for their generosity and time in helping us to arrange and hold this ceremony.

"Most of you gathered here tonight are friends or allies, and are familiar with our history. For those of you who are new, well sufficed to say that when we arrived in Manhattan we were in for quite a shock. A thousand years ago, our Clan was massacred in a daytime attack on Wyvern and the small number of us who survived were locked into a stone sleep by a spell. When Xanatos rebuilt Wyvern, we were released from that spell and awakened to a frightening new world. Some of us adapted better than others, but one thing remained unchanged: our desire to protect.

"As Hudson is fond of saying, a gargoyle can no more stop protecting than he can stop breathing. It is in our very nature to look after those who cannot look after themselves. And no matter what obstacles we faced, Goliath never let us forget that. He and Elisa helped to guide us through the innumerable trials we came up against in this city, always with one single goal in mind. To make the streets of our new home a little safer each night.

"The most amazing thing about Goliath, to me at least, was that he never gave up hope and he never backed down. Even when all the chips were stacked against us, or when the situation seemed completely hopeless, he would never let us give up…he would never let us give in. He has left a large gap for me to fill, and I hope that I can be at least half the Leader he was. Goliath was the most honorable and noble being I have ever met, and I will miss his guidance and friendship a great deal.

"I suppose that if anything positive was to come about from his death, it's that it was the start of something great. Goliath's single strongest desire was to see a time when humans and gargoyles co-existed in peace. At first, I was saddened by the fact that he never got the chance to see that come true. But then, as I began going over the list of guests, I realized that Goliath had seen what I hadn't. _You _are the reason he held onto that hope for so long. Even if he died before any large-scale changes had been made, he watched the tides begin to change, right here, with each of you. Your friendship and trust was the greatest gift you could have ever offered him." Brooklyn's throat closed up for a minute. After several attempts to clear it, he managed to force out the final heartfelt words in a rough whisper. "It is on his behalf…that I thank you."

The crimson leader stepped down and Xanatos replaced him. To those that knew the man, it was one of the rare times they saw him look somewhat lost. "As most of you are aware, Goliath and I didn't always see eye to eye. In fact, during the height of my….selfish pursuits in life, he and the Clan were forced to leave their home here at Wyvern. But Brooklyn was right about Goliath never giving up hope. Every chance h had, he would try to remind me that there were more important things in life than power and money. It was almost too late before I realized the value and truth in what he had been saying. By that time I had done things that I can never take back or change.

The billionaire's eyes drifted over to where the Maza's and the Mutates were seated and he forced himself to keep their gazes. "Several of you here tonight have been greatly hurt by my past actions, and while I neither expect or deserve your forgiveness, I'm truly sorry for the pain that I have caused." He finally looked away, back to the main audience and paused gathering his thoughts.

"A few years ago, I would have considered it a weakness to say or show such things. But Goliath reminded me what it really was to be human. He may have had wings and a tail, but he was indeed the most human being I've ever met. I told him as much one night, shortly after he helped to save my son. Men in my position have very few friends, but Goliath, despite his constant wariness around me, was a true friend to me and he will be sorely missed in my family."

After he stepped down, a steady stream of Clan and friends took their turns, relating what they had learned from Goliath or re-telling a good memory of the fallen gargoyle. Most eyes kept glancing over at the line of officers however, waiting for the one person who meant the most to him, to step forward. When Demona finally stepped down from the podium, and no one else moved, Titania- disguised as Anastasia Reynard- stood.

"Enough," she declared, as a bright flash swept through the massive room. "Elisa Maza, you do not speak because you fear you will say what is in your heart. Do not be afraid child, for those who should not hear such confessions cannot," she said with a broad gesture around the room as she shifted into her true form.

Elisa blinked, her mind frozen as she looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of place at first, until she noticed a number of the audience seemed frozen in place. "Come give your soul the closure it needs Elisa," Titania encouraged as she gestured towards the podium.

Both Maria and Matt were now nudging her to move, so she limped over to the podium and gripped it tightly in her white gloved hands. Panic and terror seized her chest for a minute as she looked out over the expectant audience. "I…uh…didn't prepare anything to say," she whispered into the mike. They waited patiently. She swallowed hard, looked down at the coffin and closed her eye for a moment as she gathered her nerve.

"But I know I'm not going to stand up here and tell you how great a person he was, because we all know that. And I'm not going to talk about how much I loved him, because you know that as well." She saw her mother smile encouragingly at her, Beth mirroring their mother's confidence, and her voice gained strength as a ghost of a smile crossed her lips. "Actually, a lot of you knew about that before Goliath and I even did," she added.

There was a smattering of chuckles from the gathered, and unfrozen, group and she tried to retain her composure as she struggled to find the appropriate words. "The night before the Dock Wars, was the last night we shared a moment of peace together. We'd had precious few of those these last few years, and we talked about the past and the future. I told Goliath that I never regretted any of the time or adventures that I've shared with him and the Clan. Standing up here though, with my reason for living lying in a casket before me……well now I'm not so sure of that," she choked out. But she pushed on, the words finally starting to come of their own accord. "Goliath just seemed…..so much larger than life. I never expected to be the one mourning over his death. Looking out, and seeing some of the pain that I feel, mirrored in your eyes, I realized that none of us did. It's taken me awhile to understand that we're all in the same boat.

"Goliath said he would always be there to catch me when I fell. I guess…in a way, all of you are helping him to keep that promise. So as my thanks to you, I would like to give you a gift in return. Goliath was a private individual, but in the nights we passed talking and sharing quiet moments together, he told me many things about each of you that he admired. Things he didn't necessarily voice, but he would have wanted you to know."

With that she went along the rows of those in attendance and shared one of Goliath's reflections and memories with them. To Dingo, the Xanatos', Macbeth, Dracon and Titania, she relayed his admiration of their strength to change, and use their power and influence for the good of humanity.

To the various visiting Clan members, she relayed the hope he had felt, knowing that the gargoyle race was alive and thriving in some parts. She addressed the rest that had fought at his side in battle both recent and old, relating a personal observance he had shared with her on each individual. She even related a funny revelation he had told her about his dealings with Owen.

She spoke to the Avalon Clan as a whole, revealing that one of the happiest moments in his life was being greeted by them on the shores of Avalon. She relayed his heartfelt gratefulness to Tom and Katherine, for their care of the eggs and the effort of raising so many hatchlings by themselves. Next she spoke to her brother and the rest of the Mutates, telling them how Goliath often spoke of how their efforts to adapt to their circumstances and make the best of it, never ceased to amaze him.

Finally, she turned to address Clan Wyvern…her Clan. The strength her voice had been carrying, started to give out as her emotions began to surge back to the surface. "Hudson, Goliath often spoke of how heavily he relied on you for strength and advise throughout the years. Even though he never said it, you were more than a mentor to Goliath…you were like a father to him."

"Thank ye lass," the old warrior said gruffly, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"Lex, of all the Clan, you were the quickest to adapt to this era. Goliath admitted on many occasions, that he and the Clan would not have adapted as well as all of you did, without your help. He knew that you were hard on yourself often because you weren't as strong as your brothers. But he said you had a strength of mind that no one else possessed and there were times he envied you for that."

She looked at Broadway, a fond smile lifting her lips as she watched the burly gargoyle squeeze Angela's hand. "Lex may have the brain, but you have the heart of this clan Broadway. Goliath was amazed by your compassion for all living things, and when Angela chose you for a mate, he knew that her heart was in good hands. I know he didn't always show it, but he approved of your mating, and it made him happy to see the joy that you brought his daughter."

The aqua gargoyle seemed to swell with pride, even as he wept openly. She shifted her gaze to Brooklyn. "A little while ago I told you Goliath would have been proud….I was wrong to say it like that, because he was proud. When he decided to choose you as his Second I was a bit surprised. You were young, rash, and inexperienced, but Goliath saw great potential in you and you didn't disappoint him. When we were gone all those months, you stepped up to the plate, and helped to keep the Clan and the city safe. Sure, you had your missteps every now and then, but you learned from each of your mistakes and became a better leader. Two nights before the fight, Goliath said he knew the Clan would be okay because they had you looking after them. You had grown into everything that he had hoped for."

When she looked at Demona and Angela, her throat closed completely. Her fists clenched at her side as she struggled to voice the words that would help them heal. "Demona….you and I have always been at opposite ends. And I know how you felt about his love for me. But I want you to know that one of the reasons I kept our relationship from progressing into anything further for so long, was because I knew he still loved you. Even after everything we had all gone through, deep down he still loved you. And as Brooklyn said before, he never gave up hope. Even when it finally became apparent that the two of you would never reconcile everything in the past enough to be together, he was relieved that at least Angela was gaining her mother back. He told you as much, the night we both held his hand as he died," she finished shakily.

The immortal stood rigid, her eyes tinged red as emotions warred within her. She nodded once, unable to voice any words, determined to talk with the human later in a more private setting. Elisa addressed Angela last, in a voice so wrought with grief that, those with lesser hearing had to strain to hear what the detective said to Goliath's daughter.

"Angela, no matter how hard he protested acknowledging that you were his daughter, the thought of knowing his own flesh and blood filled him with a sense of family he had never felt before. After you got it through his skull that you were his child, he was filled with a pride and joy that no one else could have brought him. You adapted quickly, and displayed the heart of a warrior. What was more, you did what no one else could….you helped your mother to see that there was more to life than hatred and revenge. He was so proud of you sweetheart, and he loved you so much…" In the face of Angela's tears, she finally broke down.

Angela rushed to Elisa's side and the two embraced in a fierce hug, that by the time it was finished, there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Elisa finally disentangled herself from the young woman's grasp and limped back into place with the officers. Titania resumed her human guise, and the brief spell broke with another flash of light.

Brooklyn nodded, and a lone bagpipe began playing as the officers moved forward to take their positions around the large casket. With precision movements, the officers of both police departments, ceremonially folded the flag that bore Wyvern's crest, Elisa being the last officer to make the final fold.

She turned, ignored the pain, and forced herself to walk normally the five paces to where Angela stood. "On behalf of the New York and New Gotham Police Departments, I present you with this flag as a token of our gratitude for the sacrifice you father made on in our behalf. His memory will live on in our hearts, and our prayers will be with you and your family," she said quietly, the words meaningless in her mind even as she numbly recited them.

Angela accepted the flag, staring up into Elisa's suddenly vacant expression. Her talons held Elisa's hand briefly, as the flag was passed between them. Elisa finally blinked, and then looked away, unable to hold Angela's gaze. Elisa turned on her heel, winced, and walked back into the police entourage as they withdrew from the casket, and barely made it back up the stairs.

"Elisa maybe you should sit down," Chavez whispered to her as she took in Elisa's pale features and the slight sway in her body.

"No."

"El-"

"No," Elisa said firmly, her good eye glittering angrily.

Chavez sighed, but she and Matt, slowly moved in closer to the stubborn woman as Brooklyn once again took the podium and spoke the final words of the ceremony. Elisa stayed on her feet until the end. It wasn't until everyone had begun to exit the room, that she finally passed out.

**An hour later…..**

"Is she going to be alright?" Angela asked Brooklyn worriedly as she watched Elisa limp into the room. Her collapse had only last a brief minute before she came too in Matt's arms. There had been a small pool of blood at her feet, and the doctor had been summoned immediately.

"No, but she's too damn stubborn to accept that," Brooklyn sighed. "She pulled some of the stitches in her leg…again. She bullied him into fixing her back up so she can finish the night out."

"And you all thought I was insane," Demona said dryly as she watched the human woman limp over to a table and sink into an empty chair. "In the best interests of your guest's health and well being, I would discreetly keep those reporters off Elisa," she said casually as she observed two of the three media guests honing in on the detective.

"Right," Brooklyn sighed. "Hudson?" he asked nodding towards the woman that had been chosen on his account.

"I'd be happy to lad," he chuckled as he moved to intercept the CNN anchor.

As the rest of the Clan dispersed, Angela looked over at her mother. "Mother….there is something…different with Elisa."

"In what way Angela?"

"Her scent is different," Helena answered as she came up to the two, drink in hand.

Demona frowned. "How would you know?"

"I'm not completely human. Something about being a Fae-hybrid mix according to Elisa. Anyway, among other things I have an extremely heightened sense of smell, and her scent has changed." The brunette looked over at Demona, who was watching her warily. "Is such a thing possible?"

"Normally, I'd be inclined to say no. But then we do not live in a world of normality and both she, Goliath and myself have been a favorite plaything for a number of the Fae over the years," she answered irritated.

"Is what possible?"

"Elisa's pregnant," Helena and Demona answered in quiet unison.

"What!" the younger gargoyle gasped drawing several curious looks.

"I don't think this is something that should be discussed here or now. Sufficed to say, Elisa knows nothing about it, and I do not believe she is ready for such knowledge yet. It would be best if we do not speak of this until after she has come to the realization that she is carrying his child. Angela, you would do well to quietly inform the Clan to not say anything about it either, considering it won't be long before they realize it as well."

"Yes mother."

"You think someone should say something to her mom?" Helena asked in a hushed voice, knowing the two gargoyles would be able to hear her clearly.

Angela shook her head. "I don't know if it would be wise to bring her family into this just yet."

"Mum's the word then," Helena replied as she caught her father's gesture for her to join him. "Sorry ladies, I've got a reputation to build it seems."

"Hudson, is it really true that you were all frozen in your sleep for a thousand years by a spell? I mean that seems a bit far-fetched doesn't it?"

"Aye lass, and a few years ago ye probably would have said the same thing about gargoyles turnin' into flesh an' blood each night," he chuckled.

The reporter grinned. "You do have a point. So what was it like when you woke up that night."

"Amazing an' frightening all at once. The air was filled with a noise unlike anything we had every heard before, the smell was overpowering to say the least, an' the lights that surrounded us were as breathtaking as the stars in the heavens. 'Twas a difficult year that first one… tryin' to make heads an tails of who were our friends an' who were our enemies. Elisa has been a true friend to us all these years though, an' there's no doubt in my mind tha' we all owe her our lives many times over."

"She has been linked to your sightings on many occasions. I don't think it would be a stretch for me to assume that she has become a close friend to your Clan?"

"Nae lass. Elisa be more than a friend tae us….she _is_ Clan."

"A human?"

"Clan is family. An' we take that in whatever form ye may be. She may be human, but she has the heart o' a gargoyle. I think she, more than any of us, feels Goliath's death the hardest, because it is in her nature to protect as well. Goliath became one o' her closest friends, and the lass watched him die that night. So as Clan elder, I would respectfully ask that ye leave the lass in peace tonight."

The anchorwoman nodded, and smiled at the elder gargoyle. "I've had my eyes open to a lot of things here tonight Hudson, and there is plenty for me write about without disturbing Detective Maza. I appreciate your forwardness and honesty about the matter."

"And I thank ye for your consideration lass."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you... not unless you want your recorder kept in one piece and out of any orafices," a voice chuckled from behind the nervous looking young man as he inched towards the grim looking detective.

"Jesus!" he gasped as he turned to see the crimson Clan Leader leaning casually against a pillar next to him. "Mr. Xanatos said we could speak with anyone-"

"As long as they want to talk to you. Trust me, Elisa hates the press, and right now you'd be taking your life into your hands if you went up to her."

"You're joking right?" he chuckled nervously.

Brooklyn just smiled at him. "Oh…umm well I guess I should thank you then. I'm kinda new at this and still trying to get a feel for things you know. I mean, Nicole freaked when Mr. X invited me up here instead of her."

"St. John doesn't care about anyone else but herself and her career. That's why she was left down in the street with the rest of the sharks," Brooklyn remarked with more than a little bitterness in his tone. "By the way, when people ask you why you were chosen over her, you tell them I said that. We spend night after night out there risking our necks to help people, and we get little to no credit or recognition for that. And you know what? We don't care, because it's what we do. People like her have tried to twist who and what we are in the past, all in the name of a good story and with little regard to the harm or danger she has put us in. Learn from tonight's experience my friend- don't let yourself become as self-centered as she is because it will get you more enemies than friends."

The young man nodded. "I won't…and thank you for the opportunity Brooklyn. I promise I won't let you down. People in this city are going to see just how much of a difference you have made. After tonight, I'll never again take my life or my skills for granted."

Brooklyn smiled and nodded at the young man. "Good."

"Director I'm a bit surprised to see you here tonight," the U. N. Secretary-General commented as he snagged a passing server for a glass of champagne.

"Are you really that surprised?"

The UN delegate chuckled slightly and then shook his head. "No, I guess not. Tell me, I'm sure your Bureau has been conducting a thorough investigation on the gargoyles has it not?"

"Yes, we have been working to ascertain over the years if they would be a threat to national security."

"I have had a number of the other UN delegates approach me about this matter since there are more clans coming into the public spotlight around the globe. Would you care to discuss any details about the findings of your investigations?"

The Director shrugged, knowing he would be giving this report to the UN at some point or another. "The gargoyles are not a threat to the nation or to humanity in general. As one of my Agents so succinctly put it this afternoon, they are not the problem- we are. I'm sure you are aware of the fact that there are going to be some large legal sessions within the US regarding the status of the various clans living within our borders. I suggest you discreetly form a committee within the UN to start handling this on a worldwide scale."

"We are already in the midst of doing just that. I'm sure once your country has set a precedence as to their co-existence with humans, other countries will quickly follow."

"I have to say, it's a bit exciting to be here right now…to witness this."

"Indeed. It is not often that one such as yourself has the chance to witness the beginnings of a treaty."

"My job is all about stopping the bad guys. It's a nice change to be able to sit back for once and simply watch people interact."

"Simply watch?"

The Director chuckled. "And perhaps observe a few people in particular," he admitted with a pointed look in Dracon's direction.

"Would you care for a drink Ms. Demona?"

"No I-" Demona frowned and looked at the elderly butler before her eyes widened. "Alfred?"

"Time has been far kinder to you than it has been to me Ms. Demona. Detective Maza told us a great deal about the Clan during her stay with us. I was relieved to hear that you had finally found your family."

Demona's expression darkened and she snagged the drink from his tray and tossed it back in one quick gulp. "My life has been a series of disasters Alfred. Just when things start going well, something terrible happens to tear my life apart…like this."

Alfred handed her another drink, a kind smile on his face. "We are stronger than we give ourselves credit for Miss Demona. I have no doubt that both you and Detective Maza will climb back onto your feet once the dust settles."

His words triggered an old memory and her eyebrows drew together as she dwelled on it for a minute. "One can only hope," she muttered to him, before she turned and headed over to a quiet corner to think.

"You are the one known as Tony Dracon correct?"

Dracon eyed the woman in front of him a bit warily. "Yeah that's me. That was some parlor trick you pulled back there by the way."

"Child's play really. But I have a message for you."

"For me? From who?" he asked, wondering who on earth would he knew, that would relay a message through her.

"One of my servants brought back a message for you as he led Goliath into the next realm. He said to keep an eye on her, and that if you dare lay a finger on her, he would haunt you for he rest of your days."

Dracon blinked, and then laughed heartily for a minute. "He really said that huh?" he chuckled finally.

"He did indeed. And Anubis was under the impression that he was gravely serious about that."

"I'm sure he was."

"Tom I'd like you to meet my daughter, Helena Kyle."

Helena shook the older man's hand politely. "Ms. Kyle a pleasure to meet you. Tell me, would you by chance be the daughter of Selina Kyle then?"

Helena inclined her head. "Yeah. I'm sure you know that she and my dad had a thing going on there for awhile. I was the surprise result of that, but by then she had moved to Paris."

"I never heard mention of you having a daughter Bruce."

"I didn't know about Helena until shortly before I left. Selina thought it would be best that way, and I was never one to argue with her judgement- especially on matter such as these."

"Well I have to say that this evening has been full of surprises. Not only do I find myself here, but in the presence of a man thought dead and the daughter none of us knew about. You realize I'm going to be going stir crazy this whole weekend."

"I know, but your discretion in the matter would be appreciated until we can make a full statement to the press on Monday."

"Do you think it would be possible to do an interview with both of you once you've gotten situated back in New Gotham?"

"I'd be happy to, but Helena is just getting her feet wet-"

"If you promise to go easy on me I might agree as well," Helena added, seeing her father's hesitation at committing her to public appearances already.

"I think I could do that for a first-timer. So if you don't mind me asking, how is it that all of you know the gargoyles?"

Father and daughter shared a look. "Mutual friends. Reese is Helena's boyfriend and he was the detective who worked with Detective Maza."

"I work in bar, so I hear a lot of stuff, and I've become an un-official contact for information for him. When all this was going down he realized he would need the help of people he knew he could trust. Barbara's dad was the ex-Commissioner and Dick is a detective up in Bludhaven, so we were able to set him up with a few people who could help out."

Brokaw looked at the two and chuckled. "That's all I'm going to get isn't it?"

"Yeap," Helena answered, with a playful grin of her own.

"So there are only four left in your Clan?"

"That is correct sir."

"And that's all that's left to help protect the rainforests?"

Obsidiana nodded, watching the distraught look that crossed the Secretary's face. "Obsidiana, would it be possible for you to travel to the US again in the near future to tell the things you just told me, to those who make the laws for our country? Perhaps when your story is made public, we can put more pressure on other governments to stop projects that threaten the existence of our natural resources."

"We are so few, sir. Zafiro almost did not allow me to travel, and I doubt he would agree to such a thing again in the near future," she told him regretfully.

"What if I could see to it that someone could replace you while you were gone?"

Obsidiana considered this. She wasn't sure how he could manage it since he had never met a gargoyle before tonight, but she nodded. "Perhaps, if a someone were to help the Clan while I was away, it could be possible."

"I'll speak with Brooklyn soon about this matter then."

"Hey aren't you supposed to be in bed or something?"

"I promised to be a good patient after tonight, but I had to be here," Elisa answered quietly as her sister sat across from her. "Thanks by the way."

Beth Maza smiled at her older sister. "You were looking pretty freaked out."

Elisa actually chuckled a bit. Her sister always had a knack for getting a laugh out of her- even when she didn't feel like it. "I was. I- it's just…"

"Hey," Beth said gently as she put her hand over Elisa's. "It's ok sis. You don't have to explain anything to me, I understand. Just don't leave mom and dad hanging for too long ok? Derek can go stuff his attitude where the sun don't shine, but our parents are really worried about you."

"I know," Elisa sighed. Then she grinned conspiratorially. "Derek was pretty pissed that day wasn't he?"

"He hasn't been back to the castle since," Beth giggled.

"Do you know what the first thing he said to me after I woke up? He actually had the nerve to tell me that as soon as I was feeling better I could be moved to the infirmary they have set up in the Labyrinth!"

"He did!"

"I mean I know Xanatos screwed him up, but give it a rest already. And Demona has made some huge changes….not to mention she stopped me from killing Canmore in cold blood," Elisa added quietly.

"Well if you ask me, the guy had it coming," Beth muttered supportively. "So what are your plans for the near future?"

"I have no idea. Running off to some tropical island where no one knows me is sounding pretty good right now though."

"Well if you do that, can I stow away in your luggage?"

"Are you a ninja?" Alex asked the massive gargoyle that had allowed him to perch on his shoulder.

Kai laughed. "No youngling, I am not a ninja. All of our Clan have studied the ways of the Samurai, but we are guided by the code of the Bushido."

"What's that?"

"It is a combination of ideas and religion that creates a warrior's code in which we live by."

Alex thought about that for a minute. "You mean like the story of Arthur and his Knights of the round table? They had a code."

Kai chuckled. "Very good youngling. You have a brilliant child Mr. Xanatos."

Xanatos smiled as he reached over to pluck his son off of his guest's shoulder. "Which is not always a good thing," he grinned. "Alex what have I told you about climbing on our guests?"

"But dad-"

"It is quite alright," Kai interrupted. "He was trying to find Owen and couldn't see through the crowd, so I offered him a higher perch."

"Well young man it looks like you're off the hook this time," Xanatos told his son in mock seriousness.

Alex giggled and then wriggled free of his father's grasp as he finally spotted Owen. Kai and Xanatos grinned after the boy. "I must thank you for your hospitality. Your generosity has been greatly appreciated, and I believe all in attendance would agree with me on that."

"It was my pleasure Kai. Brooklyn is hoping to hold a conference in the coming months with the Leaders of any Clans who come forward. I look forward to hosting all of you then."

"Yes, he spoke to me briefly about that among other things. It is an event I look forward to as well."

As the evening wore on, Demona kept a discreet eye on Elisa as she finally spoke with a few of the guests. Although her coloring was still pale from her collapse earlier, she at least looked better than she did last week. And she had been smart enough to stay seated for most of the time. Demona pondered once again the epiphany she'd had last week, after Angela had finally confided in her what Elisa had said that had upset her so greatly. Demona had stormed down to the detective's room, ready to rip the door from it's hinges and beat some sense into the human.

But as her hand touched the latch, she had frozen. Her mind had gone numb as the reality of what she was about to do- what she _wanted_ to do- sank in. Once again she had fled the castle, her first instinct to drink away the repulsive and ludicrous revelation that had sprung into her mind.

She was just tired and distraught. There was no way that whatever Elisa said or felt, actually mattered to her. This had been the chance she had been waiting for. Let the human cower away.

But after the third tumbler of scotch, she'd realized that the her mind wasn't getting any clearer, and if anything, she was more upset by what Elisa had said. The next morning, hung-over, in pain from her transformation, and exhausted, she finally confronted her worst fears. She had actually begun to start caring for humans again. Well, at least one human.

She had passed out after admitting that, too tired to think any further as to how or why that had happened. But when she woke up, hours later, with Goliath's words ringing in her mind, she understood. She and Elisa were kindred spirits. They were perhaps at opposite ends of the spectrum, but they were bound by the same sense of purpose and determination. Demona's anger had skewed her perception of what it meant to protect the gargoyle race, but Elisa had been no less determined to do the same.

They had loved Goliath as their mate, and they had both loved Angela as a daughter. They had shared many common enemies, they were both warriors true and proud, and they had both been delivered a crippling blow in their life.

Elisa had silently been there for her these past few years, by encouraging Angela to visit her. Elisa had been the catalyst for the changes in her life. Changes that had come reluctantly at first, yes, but now she wouldn't trade her daughter's love and trust for the world. Elisa had become a friend, without her even knowing it. A true friend, had been a rare occurrence for her throughout the centuries, she wasn't about to let Elisa, or herself, down now.

Bruce Wayne had been talking with Elisa for several minutes, and Demona smirked a bit as she noticed his troubled glances in her direction from time to time.

The man was being driven insane with the fact that he knew her, but he couldn't quite place how. After their brief conversation, the billionaire stood and left Elisa in peace. On his way past her, she gave him her best smirk. He frowned deeply and she merely chuckled.

Elisa had climbed to her feet by now, and was hobbling towards the balcony doors. Demona followed her at a discreet distance, snagging a glass of juice from a passing server even as she snagged a cocktail that had been bound for another guest.

She silently joined Elisa outside, and when the detective looked over at her, she shrugged. "I needed some air."

"Tell me about it," Elisa muttered as she lifted the glass to her lips. Demona reached over and replaced it with the juice in her own hand, and then swiftly downed the contents of Elisa's stolen drink with a grimace.

"What the hell?" Elisa yelled at her, angry.

Demona coughed slightly. "You should thank me," she grumbled. "Either Xanatos has bad bartenders, or someone has poor taste in drinks. Besides, aren't you on pain pills?"

"Don't you start on me now too," Elisa groaned.

"Very well. Order a few drinks and pass out in front of everyone again. I don't care if you humiliate yourself," Demona shrugged turning to look out over the city below.

Elisa went silent, and Demona glanced over after a couple of minutes to see her staring down at the city vacantly. She looked away, gathering her resolve and then looked back over at the human. "Did you really mean what you said back there, or was that just for show?" she asked, her voice not quite as strong as she had wanted it to be.

Elisa's head snapped around, anger and hurt in her face. "How could you think that?" she breathed. "Damnit Demona, after everything that has happened, how could you say something like that to me? You were there!"

Demona looked away, relief flooding through her body and calming the last of her fears. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "But after being betrayed so many times, I had to be sure."

"Sure of what?" Elisa asked, confused.

"Detective, I'm sure you are aware that it has been a very long time since I have trusted a human, let alone befriend one. When Goliath died, he made it clear that he wanted more than for the two of us to simply stop being enemies. I wasn't lying the other night when I told you that you were the reason I began to change.

"Yes, I will admit that part of that was done out of spite. But a larger part of that was because I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't beyond hope either. I understand your pain Elisa. Trust me when I tell you that no one else understands what you are going through better than myself. I had a millennia to perfect my anger and hatred, and yet it brought me nothing but more heartache and grief."

Elisa looked away from her, jaw tightening as she tried to clamp down on her emotions. But Demona shifted forward, and gently forced Elisa's face back around with a talon under her chin. "I won't back down on this Elisa. I owe it to everyone, but most especially to you and to him, to keep you from going down the same path I did. Believe me, lately, there have been plenty of times where slipping back into that world of detachment would have been so easy."

A choked sob escaped past Elisa's lips. "It just hurts so damn much. Everyone keeps saying it will get better with time, but right now I can't see that."

"I know," Demona soothed, as her talon left Elisa's chin and moved to her shoulders. "That's why you need to rely on the rest of us for now. You've carried the weight of the Clan and the world on your shoulders for all these years Elisa. Let someone else bare it for awhile until you get your feet back under you."

"Why are you saying this to me now?" she cried, her thin frame trembling.

"Because you've been there for me these past few years- I just didn't see it," Demona admitted, her wings closing around Elisa as the human sank into her, sobbing uncontrollably now. She had used her tail to push the doors closed, giving them a measure of privacy, but she still noticed a few surprised looks from several that had been watching the two. Most notable amongst them were Elisa's family, but Demona could have cared less about what they thought, as her own grief swelled. Bending her head down into the circle of her wings, the immortal shared a few minutes of grief with the human that had given her a fresh start, before the cold finally dictated that they move back inside.


	34. Proposals

A/N: All right here it is! Thanks to everyone for posting your reviews. A special thank you to Denis D for checking this over for me and making sure that things are making sense. Enjoy everyone!

**January 11**

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**Mid-morning**

"Should you be doing that yet?" a voice chided from the entrance of the weight room.

Barbara released the small two pound weight with a barely stifled groan as it clattered to the floor. "My arms are my means of getting around Hel. I can't afford to let the muscles in my dominant arm start to atrophy just because it's broken."

"Do you realize how ridiculous that just sounded?" Helena said as she moved next to Barbara to pick up the weight and place it back on the rack. "Barbara, your arm is _broken_. If you don't let it heal properly then what are you going to do? Besides you have the best physical therapist in the world at your disposal. If I haven't let you slack off yet on your PT after all these years, what makes you think I'm going to let you get off easy after that cast comes off?"

Barbara brushed a sweaty strand of hair back from her face and grinned sheepishly. "I suppose I have to concede to this argument."

"Damn straight you do. Now, hit the mat," Hel ordered in her best stern voice, though the playful glint in her eyes clearly gave her away.

Barbara chuckled and then with Helena's assistance, she stretched out on an exercise mat as Helena prepared to run her through a series of stretches and exercises that kept her long legs toned and limber despite their immobility.

"Hey, is this a girls only thing or can anyone join in the fun?"

"Somehow, I doubt Barbara's PT would actually get done if I let you do this," Helena teased Dick as he walked over to sit on the mat next to them.

"Well then, can I watch?" he asked, with a positively indecent smile spreading across his face.

"Dick!" Barbara protested, even as her face turned a shade matching her hair.

"That's just gross!" Helena complained as she reached over to sock him non too gently on the shoulder.

"Ow! Ok, I was just messing with you! Seriously though. Don't you think it would be a good idea for me to learn how to do this too?"

Helena's eyes flashed gold for a second, and then she shook her head and stood suddenly. "Can I talk to you for a second….in private?" she asked, her voice no longer holding any hint of humor in it.

"Hel?" Barbara asked, using her good arm to leverage herself up slightly as she took in the serious look Helena was giving Dick.

The brunette flashed her a quick smile. "I'll be right back Babs," she assured her friend and former mentor as she looked back at Dick.

He followed her outside, and watched somewhat nervously as she closed the door and then rounded on him. "What are you intentions with her Dick?"

"Excuse me?"

"I said… what… are… your intentions… with Barbara," she asked slowly.

His eyebrow lifted. "Ah, I don't believe it's really any of your business little sis."

"Like hell it isn't. Dick you weren't there after she was shot, and you have _no_ idea what she needs right now. Barbara will never say it, but her biggest fear is completely losing her independence. She hates being where she's at right now, but what she hates even more, is having to _ask_ for help. What she needs more than anything, is to have someone that she can depend on, to be there for her _before_ she has to ask."

"She can depend on me-" Dick started to say defensively.

"No Dick, she can't. Twice this week, you've gotten up before her and left her alone, and twice you've forced her to call out for someone to help her into her chair just so she could go to the bathroom. Thankfully, I've been the one to hear her first," she told him angrily. "It humiliates her every time she has to do that."

Dick stared at Helena, speechless, and then looked away in shame. "I had no idea Hel," he sighed.

"Exactly. Look Dick, I get that you love her. But to be with Barbara- to share her life now- it's going to take a lot more effort and diligence than you realize. So before you continue to get her hopes up, you had better think long and hard about whether you're ready to make a commitment of this size. Because if you break her heart, I will hunt you down and make you pay so dearly you'll wish you were dead."

Dick watched as her eyes morphed to gold with that dangerously spoken threat, and knew that she wasn't bluffing. But he pulled his chin up and met her predatory gaze. "I love Barbara with all my heart Helena. Nothing- not even the shooting has changed how I've felt about her and nothing ever will. I _will_ do whatever it takes to make her feel safe and whole."

His blue eyes softened a bit and he smiled at Helena as her own eyes reverted to their normal hue. "You know, I thought Babs was crazy for taking you in after everything that had happened that night. But now….I'm glad that she had you to look after her. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I started to realize just how much you've done for her. Now…we'll I don't think Barbara even knows just how much you do for her. I've missed out on a large part of her life, and obviously I'm floundering here," he said with a chuckle that managed to get her to relax.

"I'm not about to blow this last chance with her Hel. I'm coming back to New Gotham with you guys, and this time I'm here to stay. If you're willing to show me, I want to learn everything Barbara needs."

"What about Bludhaven?" Helena asked raising an eyebrow.

"Tim said he would keep an eye on it for me. He's put in a request for a permanent transfer, and I've already had my request to transfer to NGPD accepted."

"And the…family business? New Gotham is my town now, remember?"

"I'm fine retiring," he shrugged.

"That's it? You'd give it all up, just like that?" she asked, skeptically.

"I love Barbara, and I'm not going to spend any more time away from her Hel. New Gotham is yours and I'm the last person to step on anyone else's toes. So if I have to give up the costume to be with Barbara, then it's worth it," he answered resolutely.

Helena held his gaze, and then a slow smile spread across her lips. "Well, I _am_ going to be busy for a little while learning how to be an important socialite and business tycoon. Babs said my nights are about to become less free and there's no way either of us wants the kid out there on her own with her powers limited. I suppose if you play nicely you could join our little girls club."

Dick grinned. "Barbara is going to start getting jealous if I spend too much more time training Dinah."

"Tell you what, the sooner you learn how to take care of Barbara properly, the sooner I'll take over the kid's training."

"Deal," Dick laughed. "Now…about Barbara's PT…"

Helena stopped him with a finger in his chest as he began to head back into the gym. "Just one last thing lover-boy. If I find out you've been slacking off on her therapy in pursuit of more….selfish exercising- I will not only kick your ass, but I'll make sure you won't be having any PT privileges for awhile. And I do mean _all_ physical privileges," she warned playfully as she poked him hard in the chest and gave him a fake sweet smile before spinning on her heel and heading back inside.

"Ouch," Dick muttered to himself as he winced slightly as a scary image popped to mind.

**Early afternoon……**

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for a few more hours and see the gargoyles wake up again?"

"Thank you David, but we really need to head back to New Gotham. Helena and I have a lot of things to go over before our meetings on Monday. But we appreciate both the invitation and your hospitality. We'll have to have you and the Clan up to visit us in New Gotham soon."

"I think it might be good for them to have a little change of scenery for a night or two. Brooklyn is just starting to feel the pressures of juggling a full plate, and it might do him some good to hang around a few people that do this for a living," Xanatos chuckled, as he shook Wayne's hand.

The bearded billionaire turned to the lithe brunette at Wayne's side and inclined his head as he shook her hand as well. "Helena it has been a pleasure, and Fox and I look forward to meeting with you and your father in the Board Room next time. I hear you are quite the quick study."

Helena simply grinned. "Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree does it? I'm looking forward to our meeting as well Mr. Xanatos. As you can imagine, I have a personal interest in how far your companies have come in their R&D of the spinal chord."

"Yes, Fox said you had briefly mentioned something about that. As I understand it, Ms. Gordon has developed on her own a device that has allowed her to overcome her paralysis on a few brief occasions. Very impressive, but then there's a great deal more to Barbara than meets the eye, isn't there?" he said with a Cheshire grin.

"You have no idea," Helena chuckled back.

"I'll see to it that when we sit down with the two of you and Ms. Destine, that we make sure to feature the progress we've made in that field."

"Thank you again for all your help…both official and un-official."

"It was our pleasure. We only wished that there was more we could have done," Xanatos answered with sincere regret.

"I know you aren't exactly buddies, but please keep an eye on Elisa for us. She did more for us than just put an end to Quinn's insanity," Helena told Xanatos quietly, as her eyes grew distant for a minute.

"She has a way of impacting people's lives without really meaning to, doesn't she?" he mused softly, his lips quirking upwards in memory. "Don't worry Helena, Fox and I will do everything in our power to see to it that she's looked after."

"Thank you." Helena looked over at her father. "We should probably get going. You know how Barbara is when she's kept waiting."

"Please pass along my respects to the others and my apologies for not seeing them off. But I have a meeting with the Mayor and Governor that I'm going to be late for if I don't get out of here in a minute."

"Changing the world is a large task," Wayne said with a knowing grin. "Go ahead. Besides, with your wife and Owen escorting them, I'm sure they are in capable hands."

"Have a safe flight and good luck this week. I'm looking forward to the impact this is going to have on the business world, come Monday."

Later that evening…… 

The small group of friends and family sat around the large dining room table sharing a peaceful dinner as they talked about the future.

"I'm glad you could be here with us tonight Dad," Barbara said to her father who was quietly laughing about something he and Bruce had been talking about.

"I wouldn't miss it sweetheart," he answered with a playful smile. "I wish I could have attended that funeral, but there have just been too many meetings that I've been asked to sit in on. It's funny how you never really retire even after someone else has the job."

"The police force has grown pretty corrupt since you left. You cleaned house the first time and rebuilt this department's reputation. Guess they finally figured out that it might not hurt to ask for some help from the man that accomplished the impossible," Bruce commented.

"Yes, well things aren't quite as bad as they were when I took over as Commissioner. It'll take a while, but this whole shakedown of Quinn's organization has definitely gotten the ball rolling. They just need a little advice on how to take things from here."

"Speaking of which, Jesse, Helena was telling me you're being promoted?" Dick asked.

Reese grinned as he sipped on the fine wine Alfred had served with dinner. "You are looking at Sergeant Reese as of Monday morning," he answered. "Chief told me I could have whatever assignment I wanted. But I figure I should stick to what I know best, and what will suite my…. nighttime hobbies. So I asked for the Major Crimes Unit."

There were a couple of low whistles and even Helena turned and raised her eyebrow at him. "Dock Wars weren't exciting enough for you? Decided you needed the most dangerous job in the department?" she asked just a bit archly.

Reese just chuckled and shrugged. "Nah that's SWAT. Besides, I know I'll always have good friends to watch my back for me. Anyway, we got this new transfer coming in and I asked for him to be on my team. One hell of a cop, with a legendary reputation," he added with a sly look over at Dick, who grinned behind his own glass.

"Legendary?" Barbara asked, interested. "Who is it?"

Dick nodded slightly to Reese who grinned even more and then turned his focus on Barbara. "Some guy from Bludhaven. Guess he's got some family ties down here in New Gotham," he answered casually, seeing Barbara's breath catch. Then he added for good measure, "Also said he's got a woman here that he can't stand to be away from any more."

Barbara gasped audibly as she turned to look at Dick with tears in her eyes. "Is that true?" she whispered hopefully. "Are you really moving back?"

Dick pushed his chair back and turned Barbara's chair towards him as he got down on one knee and took her good hand in his. "Barbara, I almost lost you a couple of weeks ago. Sitting at the funeral last night…it made me realize that any one of us could get killed in this line of work."

His blue eyes stared deep into hers as he poured every ounce of love and emotion into that gaze. "I have loved you since I first knew what it meant to love. I know, sometimes I'm a little dense and slow, but I'm not about to let this gift slip away again. So yes," he answered wholeheartedly as he pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it for her to see.

"I plan on staying….forever if you'll have me," he finished, a nervous smile turning his lips upwards as Barbara stared at the ring and then at him for a long thirty seconds.

The tears were spilling over now, and just when everyone wondered if her brain had completely shut down, she broke out into a joyful laughter that no one had heard from her in a long time. The redhead leaned forward in her chair, drawing him into a shaky, tear-filled hug and whispered a fervent 'yes'.

Everyone released a collective breath, and Alfred broke out a couple of bottles of champagne to celebrate the happy occasion. "You knew about this?" Barbara asked her father several minutes later as he came over to buss a kiss on her cheek.

"He asked me last week, but he didn't tell me about the dinner until this afternoon. It wasn't me he had to worry about though," Jim Gordon chuckled as he pointed his chin in Helena's direction.

Helena looked up from the large piece of cake she was devouring. "What?" she asked innocently. "Someone has to stick up for you Babs. Just cause he's a super hero doesn't mean he's up to the task of being your husband. I needed to make sure he was man enough for the job."

Everyone laughed, and Barbara looked over at her new fiancée. "So is that what the two of you were discussing this morning?"

Dick smiled. "Hel's right. She pointed out a few things I needed to work on if I'm going to do right by you Barbara. But with a promise to live up to her expectations, she deemed me fit enough to marry you."

"Her expectations?" Barbara chuckled.

Dick grinned as he winked at Barbara. "You're too stubborn to tell me what yours are half the time, but Hel knows you too well and will have no problem vocalizing where I'm lacking."

"Why do I suddenly feel like I have no privacy at all anymore?"

"Because the rest of us don't, so why should you?" Helena teased.

"I guess I'll have to content myself with the knowledge that at least it's not my life that's about to be the hottest topic for all the tabloids for the next year or two," Barbara sighed dramatically.

"So Helena Kyle you're finally going to have a real job. I never thought I'd see the day," Jim Gordon chuckled, winking in the brunette's direction.

"Hey, just because I actually enjoyed bartending for most of the time, doesn't mean it wasn't a real job," she grinned back. "Sitting in board rooms all day, wasting thousands of dollars on business lunches, and rubbing elbows with the socially elite at banquets is hardly what I would call real work."

Both Gordons, Dick, Tim, and Bruce shared a knowing look as a small laugh passed between them. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you have no idea what you are in for Hel," Dick answered for her. "But don't feel too badly…neither did I, but I managed alright."

"How did Leonard take the news of you quitting?" Dinah asked Helena.

"Believe it or not he was fairly broken up about it. Guess he actually liked me."

"Well, you are like, the best bartender in New Gotham," Dinah remarked matter-of-factly.

"And you would know this how?" Barbara asked with raised eyebrows as she sat back in her chair to take in her current protégé and her former protégé.

Helena merely shrugged as she continued to devour her dessert, while Dinah fidgeted in her seat. "Well I might have visited her a few times at the bar…but she never let me drink," she added hastily.

"And you got into the bar how?"

"Aw come on Babara, go easy on the kid," Tim laughed as he poked a fork in her direction. "Dick's told me how you two got into Area 51 all the time with your fakes. Hell, he even gave me a few pointers on how to make mine a little more official looking back in the day."

Barbara groaned, Dick couldn't contain his laughter, Bruce and Jim raised their eyebrows, and Helena, Reese and Dinah just grinned at the redhead. "How am I supposed to be a parental figure here with you two around?" she complained.

"Area 51?" Dinah asked interested.

"It was like the most happening underground club in Old Gotham," Helena supplied, a smirk turning her lips upwards.

"You gave him pointers on how to make a fake ID look more real?" Bruce asked Dick.

Dick merely shrugged, which earned him a sigh and a few eyes rolling. "So you think the Dark Horse is going to survive without you now?" Tim asked Helena returning back to the original topic.

"I have no doubts about it," she answered with a cryptic smile.

There was a moment of silence, as everyone contemplated the look that was accompanying that statement. Surprisingly, it was Barbara who broke first. "I know that look. You're up to something."

"I'm not up to anything Barbara," Helena stated innocently.

"Ok, then why are you so confident that the Dark Horse will be ok, when we all know the only reason it's still in business is because of you?"

"Because who said I was going to completely give up my night job?"

That statement was met with a huge stunned silence, which was finally broken by the flash of a camera and Helena's laughter. "Oh man, some things really are priceless!" she said between fits of laughter, tears streaming down her face.

"So you're kidding about still tending bar then right?" he father asked completely serious.

"Yes and no," she giggled, seeing further looks of disbelief on their faces and clicking yet another picture with the digital camera she had been carrying. "I knew this subject would come up and I have been DYING to catch the looks on your faces when I said that!"

"Hel," Barbara warned.

"Ok, ok. Man you guys are a bunch of kill joys when it comes to having a good joke pulled on you. Don't everyone get their spandex all in a twist," she sighed dramatically as she glanced down at the display and tried not to giggle again. After a few seconds she had regained her composure and looked over at her father.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to continue working officially at the bar. However, I took some advice to mind, and decided that the best way for me to start getting some business experience would be running a small one of my own to start. So, I finally dipped into that little trust fund of mine and bought the Dark Horse."

"You bought the bar? That is sooo cool!" Dinah gushed.

"I'm sorry, did you just say that the first use of your trust fund was to buy a bar?" Barbara asked in disbelief.

Helena was holding her father's gaze, a smirk playing across her features as if she was daring him to frown upon her first use of his money. "That's right Bab's. Leonard figured a couple mill in cold cash would cover it."

"Two million dollars?" Reese asked, surprised by the figure.

"Don't you think that was a little unfair?" Bruce finally asked.

"It's my money right?" she challenged.

"Yes, but if you were still planning to be in the picture, surely he would have grossed more than that by the time he wanted to retire," Bruce replied, a matching smirk lifting his own lips. "Two million would hardly cover what you could have brought in within the next five years alone."

"Yeah well, Leonard never was too smart when it came to the numbers. And speaking of generous…five years?" she asked him, a look of mock hurt pouting her lower lip out. "By my calculations, I could double that figure within a single year."

Reese choked on his drink. "Four million? In a bar in that part of town? In one year?" he asked in total disbelief.

Helena shrugged. "Easy money."

"That's a pretty impressive turnaround for a beginner," Bruce said, admiring his daughter's cockiness. It was frightening how much she was like him despite the fact that he'd had no influence in her life. "Perhaps we could head over to my office so we can start talking about what to expect on Monday and you can tell me how your going to double your money in a year."

"Only if you promise not to offer me a cigar and brandy. I may be swimming with business sharks now, but I am NOT going to fall into your little world of cliches," she warned him.

"I'd be disappointed if you did," he assured her as he pushed back from the table. "Tim are you staying another night?"

"I'm going to spend the night here, but I have to head back to Bludhaven early tomorrow. Have to get a few things squared away while I'm waiting for the transfer to get finished up."

The younger man suddenly looked a bit nervous, as the subject of his employment suddenly came up and Dick and Barbara seemed quick to change the subject as well. "Are you going to be around for breakfast?"

"Are you kidding? I haven't eaten this well in years and I plan on getting as much good food in me as I can before I have to leave."

"Feel free to come by any time Master Tim," Alfred beamed. "You know my kitchen is always open and well stocked."

Tim laughed. "I'll bet it has to be with Helena's appetite."

"Hey my metabolism is a lot faster than yours!" Helena said defensively.

"I'm going to be in my office most of the evening, but I'll see you in the morning then," Bruce answered, as he looked at Helena. "You ready to hit the books?"

"Yeah I think I ate enough to fuel my brain for a couple of hours," she said sticking her tongue out at Tim, who blew her a kiss and smiled sweetly.

"Kids," Jim Gordon chuckled as he shook his head and pushed back from the table as well. "Well I need to head out as well. It's been a long day and these old bones could use a good night's rest."

"You are always welcome to stay here Jim," Bruce offered.

"I know. But I swear no matter how expensive the bed is, it's just not the same as your own. Besides, my goldfish are probably floating belly up by now and if they aren't they will be by morning," he answered with a wink over Dick and Barbara's heads. Then the older man leaned over to shake Dick's hand.

"Goodnight Daddy," Barbara said quietly to her father as he bussed her cheek again.

"It was one of the best so far sweetheart," he told her affectionately. "Walk your old man out?"

She rolled back from the table and the two left the room after Gordon bid farewell to everyone. Bruce and Helena left shortly thereafter, and Dinah stood to help Alfred clean up dinner as the rest of the men sat and chatted for a little while until Barbara's return.

Father and daughter traveled down the hallway in a content silence. Jim rested a hand on her shoulder and slowed her progress as he detoured into the study near the front door. Settling comfortably into a plush leather chair, he pulled a cigar out of his jacket.

"Daddy you know those things aren't good for you," Barbara smiled at him.

"Hmph. This from the woman that kept her double life of nightly risk taking from me…twice," he retorted as he lit up. "I should have known better once I found out that you were Batgirl. But at least I can content myself with the fact that it didn't take me quite as long this time around."

"I never did ask….how did you find out?"

Jim Gordon simply winked at his daughter and grinned smugly. "Guess that's something you and that giant brain of yours will have to figure out one of these days." He chuckled as her eyes narrowed slightly and watched her pout slightly. "And don't even think about using Dinah to dig that little secret up because that would be cheating."

Barbara slouched even further in her chair, but a grin was beginning to break through her façade. "I can't believe you would even think I would stoop to such levels."

"Babs I know you. You'd sell your soul to the devil if it would get you an answer to a question that's been bugging you. But seriously Barbara, I am worried about you," he continued gentling his tone as genuine concern settled in his eyes.

Barbara found herself unable to hold his gaze for long. "I'll be fine Dad…really."

"Barbara, I know I didn't react too well when I found out about all of this and who you had once been," he admitted with a gesture back towards the dining room. "I think part of it was because I was hurt that Bruce never told me who he really was. After all those years….." The elder Gordon shook his head and sighed.

"Once the shock wore off though- I understood why you did it. And I still understand why you continue to do it, but you push yourself too hard sometimes Barbara. This was definitely one of those times, wouldn't you say?"

"We had too dad. You know what would have happened if that kind of firepower got loose in the hands of criminals in a city like Manhattan."

"And I realize that there were special circumstances surrounding this situation…but damnit Barbara that woman nearly destroyed your lives last year! You can't always expect to be able to rely on yourselves in these kinds of situations. It's one thing for Helena to be out there... hell, I'll even give you Dinah, though I think she's far too young to be in this business. But Barbara, you have to accept the fact that you have some severe physical limitations that put you at even greater risk."

Barbara sucked in a deep breath, and green eyes flashed painfully as she glared at him. "I can't believe you just went there dad. You of all people," she whispered, tears choking her up slightly.

His tone remained gentle as he reached out and cupped his palm against the healing flesh of her jaw. "Barbara, I'm perhaps the best person to be reminding you of this. I'm not saying that you should give up what you do- I can't turn my back on how much good you've done for this city and who knows how many others. But sweetheart, perhaps its time to take a break and re-evaluate some things in your life. This….burden of yours has been slowly sucking the life out of you, and I'm not going to just stand by and watch that happen."

"This is all I know anymore dad."

"Then it's definitely time you took a break to rediscover some of the simple joys in life. I remember a little girl who used to laugh freely and had the brightest smile that could cheer me up even on my worst days. Tonight was the first time I've seen that smile in years. You're going to need time to heal, Helena is going to be busy with her father, and Dinah has her final semester to focus on before she graduates.

"Take it from an old pro, its going to take the criminal underworld awhile to get back on its feet after the blow you just helped deliver. The department is about to go through a major overhaul, and with Reese and Grayson there to keep an eye out there, the police can handle things for a little while. What do you say we all start this year better than last year?"

Barbara was silent for a few minutes and then finally nodded reluctantly. "It's going to take at least a couple of months before I can rebuild the Delphi and sift through the download that I dumped into the Cave's computers anyway."

"Barbara," Jim warned.

"But dad if I don't at least get-"

"With that amazing brain of yours, I'm sure you'll have that beloved computer rebuilt in no time flat. In the meantime, you have a wonderful young man back there that just asked you to spend the rest of your life with him. And if I understand correctly, he was willing to give up The Life, to be with you." He watched as her eyebrows lifted up under her bangs.

He snorted. "You of all people should know how territorial Hel is. She told me earlier, she had given him her blessing because he had been willing to sacrifice it all for you. Don't you think it's only fair that you devote some time and attention to this relationship as well? These things don't just run themselves like a computer you know?" he teased gently.

"I- I had no idea…." She whispered.

"I didn't think you did. So before you got all wrapped up in rebuilding that infernal computer , I thought I might be a good idea for you to take some time to take care of personal life first."

Barbara smiled sheepishly at her father. "I'm just no used to the idea of…pampering myself."

Gordon grunted. "I don't think recovering from being tortured, and taking time to properly start a marriage would be considered pampering."

"I guess this means we could finally start catching up on all those lunch dates I've been missing this last year."

"Now that's the spirit! I expect lunch at least once a week for the next couple of months."

"You forget I still have a day job dad."

"And you forget I'm retired so I can come and visit you at said day job and bring you something to eat other than cafeteria food. Now give me a hug so I can get out of here and rest easily tonight."

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

**Mid evening**

Brooklyn knocked softly on Elisa's door, and entered when she finally allowed it. "Hey Elisa," he greeted, a bit surprised to see her obediently relaxing in her bed watching tv.

"Hey Brook."

"Ummmm, how are you feeling tonight?" he asked awkwardly.

She shrugged. "Sore, tired, weak….what else is new," she answered apathetically. "You need something?"

"The Clans are all gathered downstairs in the dining room for breakfast…and well, we were wondering if you would like to join us."

Elisa picked up the remote and clicked off the television with a sign before turning her full attention to the crimson gargoyle. "I can't Brook. I can't go down there and handle seeing the pity in their eyes. I can barely stand seeing it in your eyes, and that's why I've been avoiding everyone these past couple of weeks. I got him killed Brooklyn, and I don't deserve your pity," she told him her voice breaking slightly.

Brooklyn's tail lashed as his eyes flared briefly. "Damnit Elisa, when will you accept the fact that you didn't get him killed," he asked vehemently.

Elisa gave him a shaky, sad smile. It scared him because it had a distinct edge of insanity to it. "Probably never Brooklyn," she answered softly.

"Well it's not pity your seeing in my eyes Elisa. It's regret, and sadness. Not just that he died, but that his death is eating you up and I don't know how I can help you. I look at you Elisa and I feel like I'm failing him."

His words were like a verbal slap to her, and she inhaled sharply as her single eye fixed on him. "This is my battle Brooklyn," she whispered hoarsely. "There's nothing you can do to fix this. Now please leave."

"A few years back, after you had been shot that second time, and the two of you had that huge fight- he never gave up on you. I heard what you said to him that night, and I know how much it hurt both of you and how much you regretted what you said to each other. But he didn't back down, and he didn't give up. I may not have figured out how to best help you, but I'm not about to give up trying," he told her stubbornly before he turned and left her alone.

Elisa stared at the blank screen for several minutes, her heart pounding in her ears. Her temper crested finally and she hurled the remote across the room with an oath, and then doubled over gasping as pain shot across her face and her healing side.

"Elisa?" her mother called out in a concerned voice as she tapped lightly on Elisa's door.

"Yeah mom," Elisa grit out as she forced her breathing to slow and her blood pressure to calm. The pain gradually began to subside as her mother sat on the bed next to her.

"Are you ok?"

"Not really," Elisa admitted through still clenched teeth.

"You really should stop pushing yourself sweetheart," Diane admonished gently as she eyed the shattered remote on the floor.

"Maybe if everyone would quit bugging me I could," Elisa answered somewhat bitterly.

"Do you want to move back home? The doctor said that you could if you promised to relax and follow their instructions."

Elisa nodded slightly, not wanting to kick the throbbing in her healing face back up. "Yeah…I think that might be a good idea. There's…there's just too many emotions…too many ghosts for me to deal with here right now."

Diane gently brushed a lock of her daughter's hair back and nodded. "I'll let the doctor know and I'll send your father to restock your refrigerator in the morning."

"Can you have Beth do it? She knows what I like better," Elisa asked hopefully.

Diane chuckled and shook her head. "I still can't see how you two can eat all that junk food and pre-made stuff."

"And I can't see how you can drink skim milk and prune juice," Elisa retorted.

"All right, all right, I'll have Beth do your shopping. Now, you want to talk about what upset you so much?"

"Not really," Elisa muttered, picking at the bedspread.

"Alright. Well then do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"You just did," Elisa pointed out.

"Don't roll your eye at me," Diane scolded gently before she continued. "Will you finally tell me what is going on with Demona and why all of a sudden the two of you seem to be friends."

"We're not friends mom," Elisa said automatically. She paused however, and reassessed her statement. "Demona's made a lot of changes over the past few years, and we've come to a mutual respect for each other."

"That looked like a lot more than mutual respect out on the balcony last night," Diane remarked as she observed her daughter's expression.

Elisa was quiet for a minute as various emotions crossed her features. She finally settled on a slightly confused look as she shrugged. "Goliath loved us both mom, and we were both there to hold his hand as he died. It's hard to explain, but I guess it's just that we understand how the other feels right now. We've been at each other's throat for so long and now…well I think its weird for us both. Demona will never probably consider any human as a friend- she's simply had too many bad things happen to her at the hands of our race. But, I think that she and I have finally reached a level of trust and respect that she doesn't have with anyone else, except Angela."

Diane sighed, a little unnerved by the admission. "I don't know about this Elisa," she admitted. "Derek isn't taking well to this new….relationship with Demona. And I can't say that I don't necessarily blame him."

"Look mom, we're not even friends…..probably never will be," Elisa sighed, almost regretfully in Diane's opinion. "As for Derek, we'll he can shove his opinion of everyone up his furry a-."

"Elisa," Diane cut in. "You know your brother is just looking out for your best interests."

"Yes I know that mom, but at some point you have to let go of the hatred. You and dad taught us that we will be wronged in our lives, but we can't let those wrongs warp our thinking. People like Demona and the Xanatos'- yeah they've screwed up in their lives. Badly. But they've come to realize their mistakes and they will be spending the rest of their lives trying to atone for them. I'm not saying he has to be best buddies with them, but he didn't stay at Goliath's wake because he couldn't bring himself to even be civil to them for a couple of hours!"

"Shhhh, I know," Diane soothed as she gripped her daughter's hand in her own. "And I've already had words with him about that this morning. I don't approve of your brother's attitude, and I worry a great deal about him because he's growing more and more reclusive. But none of us can even begin to imagine what he goes through every day when he wakes up and looks in the mirror. That's why I can't judge your brother for the way he feels."

"It doesn't make it right."

"No, but now is not the time for this battle. You have plenty of your own ahead of you."

Elisa sighed, the tension finally leaving her body. "Alright."

"Good," her mother smiled as she squeezed her hand. "Now how about some dinner?"

"Mom," the detective nearly whined.

"Complain all you want, but I am your mother and it is my job to make sure you eat right injured or not. So you can tell me what you would like to eat or I can go dig up skim milk and something with sprouts in it," her mother threatened with a grin.

"Can I get away with some soup and something with caffeine it? I haven't had any coffee in two weeks and I'm going through serious withdrawals."

"No wonder you've been so moody lately. Broadway made quite the feast tonight, so I'll go see what he's got left over."

"Don't forget the caffeine," Elisa called out just as her mother left.

"Mrs. Maza!" Broadway greeted cheerfully as Elisa's mother walked into the kitchen.

"Now Broadway we've had this discussion before."

"I'm sorry," the large gargoyle blushed. "Diane."

"Much better. It looks like your meal was quite the success out there," Diane complimented.

"Well Angela and few of the others helped me quite a bit. But everyone's having a good time…it's really good to have the representatives from the other Clans here."

"It was extremely nice of Queen Titania to allow the Avalon Clan to stay a little longer."

"That's been something very special for Hudson," Broadway acknowledged. "A group of them cornered him last night and they almost missed getting to the parapets on time this morning. Can I get you something to eat?"

"Actually I ate earlier, though I might be tempted to steal some leftovers for lunch tomorrow because this simply looks too good to pass up. I was wondering however if I could grab a little for Elisa."

She didn't miss the portly gargoyle's look of despair. "Brook was pretty pissed off when he came back. Is everything okay with her Diane?"

"I think we both know the answer to that question Broadway," Diane admitted sadly. "Elisa has always been a strong-willed individual. She'll come through this when she's ready. But until then, the harder we push- the harder she's going to push back. Right now, the best thing we can do is give her some time and space to sort things out. Now," she said looking over the delicious assortment of food Broadway had prepared. "What's the chef's recommendations?"

Broadway perked up as he grabbed a spare plate and began dishing out food as he listed of their names and the special touches he had given to eat item. After filling the plate, he covered it and set the plate, a bowl of soup, a large cup of steaming coffee and a small plate of dessert onto a tray and handed it to Diane.

"This is probably far more than she'll eat, but whatever she doesn't eat I'll be sure to take home for lunch. Thank you Broadway."

"Any time Diane, and they'll be plenty left in the fridge if you want any more. Tell Elisa I said hi."

"I will. Oh, can you tell Brooklyn I'd like to have a word with him in a little bit before I leave?"

"Sure thing."

With a final smile, the Maza matriarch picked up the food laden tray and began to weave her way back through the castle up towards her daughter's room. She was a little surprised as she rounded a corner and nearly ran into Demona.

"Demona!" Diane gasped instinctively, as she struggled to keep the tray balanced.

The flame-haired gargoyle reached out to help steady the tray with an apology. "Is this for Elisa?" she asked after all the items had been secured.

"Broadway got a little carried away, but yes."

Demona nodded. "It's about time she finally started eating right. She's looking too thin and she'll risk making her condition worse."

Diane eyed her daughter's former enemy, and shifted the tray into one hand as her eyes narrowed slightly. "Demona I'm going to be forward with you and I hope you have enough honor in you to be straight with me," she told the gargoyle boldly.

Demona's brow arched upwards in surprise. Before Elisa's mother allowed her to respond however, she continued talking.

"I saw the two of you last night, and you know that. I am extremely thankful that Derek wasn't there to witness whatever that was, but I'm going to be forward and say that it unnerved me a great deal. You have tried to kill my daughter on more than one occasion, and now the two of you…." She shook her head, frustrated. "Elisa tried to explain it, but I can't really understand it. All I know is that she's asking me to trust you because she does, and that is going against everything in my gut right now."

Silence filled the hallway for a minute, and the immortal felt herself slightly pinned by the human's intense gaze. Suddenly she chuckled, breaking the tense silence. "I can see where Elisa gets her courage and straightforwardness from."

A hint of a smile relaxed Diane's lips, though the smile didn't reach her eyes by any means. "I want to know what's going on here Demona, because I fear that Elisa may actually be considering you as a friend, even though she doesn't expect it in return. You seem to be the one person who can reach her right now, and you are the last person I trust my daughter's emotions with right now."

"Mrs. Maza you have every reason to not trust me. I'm not down in that dining room right now because it's going to take a long time for me to rebuild my trust with everyone else. I hated Elisa for so long because she represented everything I once was…everything I had turned my back on. But she gave me back my daughter, and Angela has brought emotions back into my life that I haven't felt in centuries- things I didn't think I could ever find."

The gargoyle looked up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to find the words. "These past couple of years have brought some changes in my life that have…unnerved me. Among them has been a growing appreciation for what Elisa did, even though she went behind Goliath's back at first to do it. But what happened back at the docks, and these last couple of weeks," the gargoyle emitted a small growl, a sound that reminded Diane of an animal in distress.

"Quite frankly, I haven't even figured out how I feel right now, and that more than anything else, scares the hell out of me. You want me to straight with you? Well I can't explain to you what's going on any better than Elisa can, but I do know this: I will not betray her trust. She gave me a second chance at redemption when no one else would, and I will do everything in my power to make sure she doesn't go down the same dark path I did," Demona vowed solemnly.

Diane nodded, her posture finally relaxing completely. "Then that's good enough for me."

Demona blinked. "That's it? You would trust me just like that?" she asked in disbelief.

Diane chuckled and shook her head. "I'm not stupid Demona. I still don't trust you, but I'm willing to give you a chance. But I swear to you," she added her posture becoming aggressive once more as she poked a finger at the gargoyle. "If you are toying with my daughter, and you hurt or betray her…so help me I will hunt you down myself and make you pay dearly."

Demona actually grinned, her teeth showing. "I can definitely see where Elisa got her spirit, and I wouldn't expect anything less."

"Good. Now, since you seem to have nothing to do at the moment and I need to go talk to Brooklyn about Elisa's move tomorrow, why don't you go take this up to her," Diane said as she thrust the tray into Demona's hands.

"Move?"

"She want's to go home tomorrow, which I think would be best for her. Too many painful memories here right now."

"I see. Do you think it would be wise for me to bring this too her? The last time I was in her room she pointed a gun at my head," Demona informed her nonchalantly.

"I think she's moved beyond the angry phase, so it should be safe now."

"What would everyone do if they couldn't take advantage of my immortality?" Demona asked dryly.

"Wear flak jackets," Diane answered easily.

Demona scowled a little bit, but she took the tray of food and began to head back the way she had come. "Mrs. Maza...?"

"Yes?" Diane said turning to look back at the indigo gargoyle, interested in the play of emotions that flitted briefly behind Demona's eyes as she seemed to battle with some silent decision.

"I know Elisa's…mental state has not been very stable lately. And I know it is a cause of concern for everyone- myself included. Do you think it is wise for her to return home to be by herself right now?"

Diane sighed and shrugged. "I don't know what would be best for her right now," she admitted. "All I want for her right now is to have some measure of peace, and if she thinks she can find it outside these castle walls then I'll support her decision to move back home."

"Will you be checking in on her regularly?"

"I know she's going to resent it, but absolutely."

"Perhaps it would seemed less invasive if different ones were to find more subtle ways to keep tabs on her," Demona suggested.

Diane tilted her head to the side. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well it would take some coordination and some ingenuity, but you would only need one or two people each day to find some excuse to contact her. It would have to be legitimate, because I know she would see right through it, but I doubt there would be a shortage of volunteers."

Diane thought about that and then looked pointedly at Demona. "You would be one of them correct?"

Demona nodded, the hesitant look filling her eyes briefly. "I was thinking….of perhaps inviting Elisa to my residence for lunch. There is much she and I need to discuss."

"She's moving tomorrow, so I'm sure that'll be more than enough exercise and company for her. While you're up there, invite her over for Monday, and that will give me time to start putting together a list and coming up with reasons for them to get in touch with her."

Demona blinked startled. "I- Elisa may not be ready to talk about what we need to discuss."

"Maybe, maybe not. You're obviously not willing to tell me what that is and quite frankly that thought still disturbs me," Diane said pointedly. "However, she seems to be tolerating your company better than most right now, so I can't really look a gift horse in the mouth now can I?"

The gargoyle scowled slightly at that analogy, but she nodded anyway. "I promise I won't push her into anything she's not ready or willing to discuss."

"Funny thing is I actually believe it when you say that. Don't let me down Demona," Diane advised somberly.

"I won't," Demona vowed.

**Wayne Manor**

**New Gotham**

"Hey," Reese greeted softly to the figure that had just crawled into bed with him.

"Didn't mean to wake you," Helena apologized quietly as she snuggled up next to him.

"I was still awake….not really used to going to bed at a normal hour," he said, dismissing her need for apology. "So you two got your game plan for Monday all figured out?"

"Pretty much. Basically we are going to have one endless hour after another of meetings."

"Beginning to regret your decision?" he chuckled.

"No," she answered honestly. "I mean my job as a bartender is looking better by the minute, but this is a part of my mother's life that I never got to see or experience. And when my father is in business mode, he's like this whole other person."

"So you're cool with this then? Working with your dad and everything?" he asked rolling onto his side and peering at her in the dim light.

She paused, and then he could feel her smile. "Yeah…..I guess I am. I mean, I'm still trying to get over some of my issues with him. But it's like we found something where we could try and bond without either of us resenting it."

"Are you happy?"

Helena pulled back a bit to look at Reese more carefully, sensing more to the question than if she was happy with her new career change. She pondered the question and then finally gave him that rare open smile that melted his heart every time she bestowed it upon him.

"How can I not be? All I've ever wanted was to feel loved and be surrounded by my family. I finally have both back in my life again, and a whole lot more than I ever expected."

"I love you very much Helena Kyle," he reaffirmed as he leaned forward to give her a thorough kiss.

"Wayne," she mumbled against his lips as they parted for a breath of air.

"Huh?"

"You forgot the Wayne part. We found out I have two birth certificates, and the legitimate one has my father's last name on it. I am officially Helena Alexis Kyle-Wayne."

Reese chuckled. "That's quite a mouthful. Does this mean you're going to officially move into the family residence?"

"Are you kidding?" she chuckled. "Sleeping with you under the same roof as my father has been creeping me out. There's no way I could live here permanently."

"So you gonna buy your own place now?" he asked placing soft kisses on her brow.

"I've got my own place," she giggled back.

"Above the bar?" he asked, bracing his weight on one arm as he hovered over her.

"Hey I own the whole building now. And that apartment is pretty good sized, it's just not very….decorated."

"You think dad's gonna go for that?"

"He wasn't too pleased, but he's not pushing anything right now. I'm sure it will come back up later, but he let it slide for now," she said as she pulled his head down for another kiss.

"Why do I have a feeling he's not going to really let it slide?" he murmured a few minutes later when they surfaced for air again.

"He will if he knows what's best."

He looked down at her, seeing her eyes glinting gold in the moonlit room. "Thought this creeped you out," he whispered huskily as he dipped down to nip at her throat.

She gave a small snarl and quickly flipped them over so she was on top. "I think we're done talking about my father for the night," she ordered as her lips descended on his and brought all conversation to a complete stop for the rest of the night.

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

Demona balanced the tray on one hand and reached out for the handle to Elisa's door. She hesitated a moment as she had done the first time, and silently cursed herself for her weakness. Without a second though, she pushed open the door and smirked ever so slightly when the detective's uninjured eye widened in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, with more confusion in her voice than anger.

"You're mother needed to go take care of some things to prepare for your move home tomorrow and asked me to bring this up to you. She said she'll be back in a little bit," Demona answered as she moved into the room and shut the door with her tail before approaching the human.

"Broadway outdid himself tonight and it seems he was bound and determined to have you sample at least one of everything he made it seems," she remarked as she removed the covers from the plates and settled the tray on Elisa's dresser.

The injured woman moved to sit upright in her bed, but when she turned to prop her pillows up higher she gasped in pain, her arm immediately clutching her healing side.

Demona was by her side instantly, her strong talons supporting Elisa's thin frame as her agile tail saw to the positioning of the pillows so they would support Elisa without her having to move much. "Easy….focus on your breathing," the immortal instructed quietly as she gently coached Elisa to lie back a little so that the pillows were taking her weight.

Elisa clenched her teeth, hating herself for showing this kind of weakness in front of Demona. But she was grateful for the calm steady voice that coached her through the worst of the pain, and finally managed to relax her protesting muscles enough to breath normally again. "Thanks," she grunted, as the tension began to leave her body.

"So much for your color."

"You were bringing me food?" Elisa prompted, not really up for much banter with her former enemy. Truth be told, as soon as Demona had walked into the room bearing the food laden tray, her stomach had made it quite known just how hungry she was. That and the fact that she had become very familiar with how skilled a chef Broadway had become over the past few years.

Demona gave her an irritated look, but she fetched the tray and set it on Elisa's lap. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her throat when Elisa's stomach rumbled loudly. "You should feed that thing more often, then maybe you won't be so hostile to people who come and visit you."

"And maybe some people should realize when they're presence is wanted," Elisa shot back at her with a pointed look.

Demona ignored the look and settle herself in an oversized chair. Elisa looked at her for several more seconds and then frowned. "Suit yourself. Don't expect me to be cheery company," she warned before she picked up her fork and began to sample the various foods.

"Tell me something, did you get to know Bruce Wayne when you were up in New Gotham?" Demona asked out of the blue.

Elisa looked up, and shook her head. "I never met Mr. Wayne."

"But he was here with his daughter, and she was a part of the group from New Gotham that helped you correct?"

Elisa knew she had to be careful what she said. "Mr. Wayne had returned the night of the Dock Wars. Thankfully he had, because he had been able to help save Barbara Gordon from Quinn. But I never met Mr. Wayne. Why do you ask? His return mess up some business plans of yours?"

Demona gave Elisa an annoyed look. "Actually, yes he did. But Xanatos says he has a much better plan in mind, and wants to have a meeting between the three of us."

"Xanatos always has something up his sleeve," Elisa muttered as she savored her coffee for a few minutes before focusing back on the food. "So why the questions about Wayne?"

"Let's just say I have a personal interest in Mr. Wayne."

Elisa's head nearly snapped up. "What, you like the guy?" she asked in disbelief.

A distasteful look crossed her features. "Absolutely not!" she answered vehemently. But she quickly calmed her temper as she sat back in her chair. "His family and I share a past. It is one of the few…acceptable alliances I've had with humans. The last really," she answered with a distant gaze.

"So you knew him before he disappeared?" Elisa asked intrigued. Angela had told her before that her mother had formed alliances and even friendships with a few humans over the centuries. This was the first time Elisa had ever heard that admission from the gargoyle herself though.

"In a manner of speaking. He was but a hatchling when I last saw him," she answered, her eyes filling with sadness that was quickly chased away by anger.

Elisa was about to ask another question, but as she began to cut into the healthy slice of beef Broadway had given her, pain shot up her side again. Her silverware clattered to the tray, and that nearly ended up all over the expensive linens if it weren't for Demona's quick reflexes.

She was doubled over in pain again, and Demona was once again coaching her to breath as she push her back into a more supine position. A troubled look crossed the gargoyle's face and Elisa managed to catch it. "What?" she ground out.

"You're bleeding from your side."

"Wonderful. This is the third time I've pulled those stitches. What are you doing?"

"Looking at your injury. Unless you'd like for me to go and get one of the medical staff," Demona answered, knowing full well that was the last thing Elisa wanted right now.

"No I don't. But there's probably nothing you can do so I guess I'm going to have to sit through another of Major's lectures anyway."

"Just because my injuries heal themselves by sunset the next day, doesn't mean I haven't picked up a thing or two over the past millennia about healing and wound care. Now roll over so I can take a look."

Elisa grumbled under her breath, but opted to at least let the gargoyle look at her side. She had to bite her lip as she rolled over, and almost managed a smirk when she heard Demona's breathing still for a minute after she lifted her shirt halfway up, revealing her lower abdomen.

Demona stared at the mottled bruises that covered most of the skin that she had just exposed, their color only just beginning to fade. "You received these in the fight?"

"Yeah…thank god for body armor huh?" Elisa asked in a humorless tone. "Doc Majors said my body armor looked like it had been sitting in a target range for a week. They figured I took over two dozen hits, but only one got through."

"And these?" Demona asked, pointing to the small bandages on her side and abdomen.

"The side was a lucky knife wound, the rest are from surgery. I'm gonna look like a friggin road map when all this heals up."

Elisa stilled as she felt the gargoyle peel back the soaking bandage along her side, and tried not to flinch as the gargoyle gently prodded the injury. Then the sharp talons were gone, and Demona was rustling around in her bathroom for a couple of minutes before returning with a small basin of warm water and the first aid kit that had been well stocked every day since her arrival.

"Well?" Elisa hissed out as Demona began to dab a wet cloth against the wound.

"It's not too serious. The stitches are pulled, but not badly. I think a few butterfly's will hold it together until it can close up again, but you should come by my place day after tomorrow, and I can help speed the healing process along since you are so determined to get back onto your feet."

"Speed it up?" Elisa asked in disbelief as she glanced over her shoulder. "I've go the best doctors in the country checking up on me fifty times a day, and you can speed up what they're doing?"

"There are other means of healing, outside the conventional ones," Demona shot back.

"Whoa, hold on a sec," Elisa protested, rolling over a little further. "Are you talking about casting spells and stuff on me?"

"Don't worry Detective," Demona purred, flashing a toothy grin at the human. "I promise not to do anything that drastic. Just a few herbs and such that will work much better than all this other crap they're giving you right now."

Elisa eyed her for a minute before rolling back onto her side. "Day after tomorrow?" she asked finally.

"Yes since you are moving home tomorrow I figured you wouldn't be up for much more after that."

"You want me to come to your place."

"I can look at your injuries more thoroughly and have everything I would need at my disposal," Demona rationalized, suddenly grateful that she now had an excuse to have Elisa come over to her home. "Unless that is a problem for you."

"No….it's just…" Elisa trailed off, and Demona could feel the frown. "This….are we friends?" she finally asked.

Demona was silent for a long time, and Elisa could feel the slight tremor in her talons as she finished cleaning and re-bandaging her strained injury. Elisa carefully rolled onto her back, and watched as the immortal meticulously repacked the first aid kit and then set it off to the side without meeting her eyes. Not able to stand the silence any longer, Elisa reached out and stilled the gargoyle's hands.

"Demona?"

The gargoyle finally met her gaze, even as she ceased her nervous movements. "I don't know Elisa," she answered quietly before she looked away.

Elisa's hand released hers as if burned, and Demona had to stop her from rolling away from her. "Elisa wait," she started, unsure of what she really wanted to say to her right now_. Your pregnant with his child_, her heart screamed at her to utter those words. But her mind clamped down on that impulse. Elisa was still too fragile right now, and she had no idea what kind of impact such a revelation would have on the human right now. Besides, it would be several more weeks, perhaps even a couple of months if they were lucky, before Elisa would even begin to suspect that she might be pregnant.

"I told you last night that I trust you, and I meant that. But Angela will be the first to admit that it takes me awhile to actually open up to someone enough, to even consider them as a friend. It's going to take some time, and I hope you can continue to show me the patience you've shown over these past couple of years, but I'd like to hope that some day we could be friends," the gargoyle admitted.

Now it was Elisa's turn to be silenced by uncertainty. "You still have a lot to deal with, so I'm not going to pressure you, or expect anything from you. But we do need to talk about this, just not here…not now," Demona continued as she stood from where she had been sitting next to Elisa.

Elisa finally managed to nod in understanding. "I doubt they're going to let me drive anywhere."

"I can arrange to have you brought to my place on Monday if you wish to come."

Elisa nodded. "I think I should."

Demona picked up the items she had retrieved from the bathroom and returned them, before helping Elisa into a more comfortable reclined position. The detective was no longer hungry, but the gargoyle was content with the fact that she had eaten more than half the food on the plate. "I should be heading down to meet Angela. I'll see you in a couple of days."

Elisa simply nodded, her mind still trying to deal with the impact of the conversation, they'd just had. After Demona had left, she continued staring at nothing, trying to sort through all the confusing emotions that were running rampant through her battered body


	35. One Step Forward

**A/N: **Well first of all let me express my sincerest apologies to all my readers and fans for the long wait you've had to endure. Unfortunately, life got to be a little overwhelming awhile ago, and not only did I have the time that I really needed to devote to writing, but I had lost my muse. Actually, that's not entirely true…my muse had turned into something dark and depressing, to reflect my own personal mood at the time, and I simply didn't want to let the story end on a completely dark note.

But it's amazing what a 2 weeks cruise vacation will do for one's spirits. And with a laptop at my disposal, I was actually able to hammer out almost the remainder of this story. With that said you can expect the rest of the story to come out rather rapidly now.

Now there's a couple of things I need to explain first. Part of this chapter and the next will have a guest written section by my man and comic guru Denis "Malkavian" De Plaen- most specifically the afterlife sections staring our not-so dead Goliath. There are a lot of references to various comic-verse chars coming up which if you don't know much about them (like me) it's ok. But for those of you who do, cheers to you, and we hope you get a bit of a laugh out of what we're doing. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, remember this is fanfic (most specifically mine!) and yes I've taken certain liberties with my massive undertaking. But it's all in good fun and spirits so don't take all of this seriously and want to hang me for blasphemy or something. OH PS: the lyrics, the characters, etc etc are not mine I make no money off them.

Ok so now that my ranting is done: Once again, my thanks for your patience and your support.

Enjoy!

**Somewhere in the immortal realm….**

Time was flowing oddly, in Goliath's perspective. He was resting, as he was told, waiting. But how long has he been waiting? Seconds? Minutes? Days? Maybe even months? He couldn't say.

A soft voice pulled him from his reverie. "Trouble sleeping?" asked the voice.

A young brown haired woman walked toward him. She was wearing a violet hued wool pullover, and a calf length skirt, and her face adorned a lovely, friendly smile. Goliath blinked, then nodded.

"I wasn't aware sleep was possible in afterlife," Goliath replied sarcastically, and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. My name's Goliath of Clan Wyvern."

The woman nodded and smiled. "I know. Mine is Sue Dibny. Pleasure to meet you, Goliath." She extended her hand, which Goliath shook.

"Likewise, Ms Dibny. " Goliath replied with a smile.

"It's Mrs. Dibny, actually. But, please, call me Sue." Her smile was dazzling, yet comforting. To Goliath, she was like a crossover between his beloved Elisa and Fox Xanatos. "Do you mind if we take a walk?"

_A walk to where? It's white everywhere, here_ was his thoughts

Never the less, being the gentleman…err; gargoyle he was, he offered his arm to the young woman. The two walked in the white nothingness… then emerged in a lush garden, leaving Goliath breathless.

"Is that Heaven?" He finally asked. That got a chuckle from Sue.

"Heaven isn't exactly a specific geographic place like Avalon, you see. It's more like a plane, a dimension- a layer of reality. For example, there's a New York, a London, and, where we are now in a Los Angeles. The Garden of Fragrances in Van Nuys, to be exact."

But this LA was very different than the Los Angeles he had visited in the last decade. This place was clean, and safe. Just outside the park, the Gargoyle could see a fluid flow of the car traffic.

"Sue…why are we here?" He finally asked.

"I find this place quite relaxing, and I though it might help you relax some. You have a training session coming soon, and you'll be introduced to your team mates…and your mentor."

"I understand." Goliath answered after a pause.

A regular 'schtock' sound was audible every few seconds, and gurgling of a stream, under the Japanese wooden bridge the two were standing on. Sue was right, this place was relaxing. This brought back memories of Ishimura, one of Goliath's favourite places in the world. Elisa and he himself spent a month there, three or four years ago, after Elisa had received a bullet in the line of duty.

She had been reckless, and paid the price for it. They had argued so much after that, about the risks they were taking- that SHE was taking. They argued so frequently and so violently, that it came to the point where they saw their friendship balancing on the brink of breaking.

But Kai had suggested that they come over for a while and Brooklyn was perfectly able to lead the clan in his absence. Back then, they had been so close to admitting the true extent of their feelings for each other, and yet they didn't. Retrospectively, what a waste of time it had been, that game of hide and seek.

A beeping sound pulled the large gargoyle out of pensive state of mind.

"You'd think they'd ban cell phones, here, but noooo!" she grumbled as she flipped open the hi-tech looking phone. "Dibny."

Goliath couldn't understand what was said on the other end, but he saw his companion nod her head.

"Alright, then. Goliath will meet you there. But you know what I think of that place, Boston…" -a pause, then- "Yes, good afternoon to you too."

Goliath's head perked up at the mention of his name.

"Is there some trouble with my presence here?" was his first question, when Dibny hung up.

"No no no! Don't worry about it. It's just that the person whom is supposed to be your mentor and sponsor, will be meeting you in the Mortal Realm. In an Enclave, as we call it. He'll explain it all in details."

Goliath paused, then quickened his pace to catch up with the brunette.

"What kind of place is it, exactly? How will I recognize it?"

Dibny looked up at Goliath and smiled.

"I'll give you a lift there, don't worry. But we've got some time to kill. So, I heard you met the Batman's daughter?"

**January 13**

**Mortal Realm **

**Manhattan**

It was early morning, when Dominique drove her car away from the Brooklyn Bridge. Ahead on the right, she could see the shape of the Eyrie Building cutting in the clouds filled skies.

But today, that wasn't her destination.

She had given Rudy, her driver, a well-deserved day off. And seeing his face when she told him, was really worth the favour.

She enjoyed driving, although she seldom indulge herself, she had no patience to deal with hu…with people during the rush hours, and the wealthy CEO usually used the time it took to Rudy to drive the Limo from her manor in the Queens to the Nightstone Plaza to overview her day's schedule, or refresh her mind about tricky conditions on a juicy contract.

Driving really was a hobby to her. It was a bit like gliding, she had reasoned at first, but it didn't make her muscles ache after a long drive.

Not so long ago, as she was starting to face the fact that she was changing, that her views about humans were changing, she even drove as far as Star City. That had been after Angela had revealed the fact the Elisa was the one covering for her, while she snuck off to visit her mother. At other times, she had driven to Central City, Boston, Chicago… It helped her clear her mind. A palliative of some sort.

People who stop smoking often shift toward candies, cookies, their secretary… Anything sweet they could get their hands on. To Demona, presently Dominique, her palliative to genocide was driving.

And that was something she hasn't told many. Well, nobody at all if she was honest with herself. Only her Vice President Silver knew about what the hobby was for her boss…though she was told it helped her deal with the stress following some painful self-questioning. The platinum blonde haired executive had been very understanding and supportive. The two were even starting to build a certain level of trust… but it was limited by the fact that Dominique wasn't ready or willing to let her know about her nightly self.

Elisa was another.

Elisa was, well, an enigma to the immortal gargoyle turned human by day. She had a sharp intellect, a good-looking physique and, truly, the heart of a gargoyle. She was protective –some might even say over-protective – for her loved ones, and of people in general, regardless of their species.

Demona had hated her with such a passion, for so long, partly because the more she got to know Elisa Maza, the more she felt a kinship to her. The first positive feeling Demona had developed toward the Detective was a grudging respect, even esteem.

And now that her hatred was leaving her, now that her nemesis was down for the count, physically and emotionally hurt… Demona was feeling this compulsion to help her get to her feet, to support her in any way that she could.

To be honest, it wasn't the first time she had felt that for a human. But the outcome, back then… The outcome hadn't been good. As the car stopped at a crossing light's red, Dominique reminisced.

**_Flashback._******

_**Constantinople, 1453**_

The city was a hellish maze, illuminated by a descending sun in that evening of May. Pillars of smoke could be seen all over town. Ottoman soldiers were everywhere, crushing every pocket of resistance they found. Crusaders were determined to defend their city though. They had lost so much to their powerful enemy, and they weren't going to surrender this one last bit of the once glorious Roman Empire.

An explosion pulverised a church nearby, a woman screamed.

The man, a proud knight, wearing a white robe over his chain armour, his snarling mouth surrounded by a beard and moustache that already had silver in it, dropped his shield to help the woman back to her feet. She was a beauty, really. Her proud cheekbones and lean silhouette typical of the Carpathian region…but her dark hair, her light chocolate complexion and proud nose were a giveaway to her Hebrew ancestry.

"We must hurry, Talia. The sun is almost down. We must warn her." He told her.

"It's too late, my love. The clan is gone, and the Ottoman is tearing the city asunder. There's nothing our winged friend can do for them- or for us either. Please, Henri."

"Demona must be warned, Talia! The Hunter is here, and after her. She must be told" the knight named Henri exclaimed

The oblivious couple bumped into a man, as they were hastening their pace. His shoulders were broad, even without the armour. The black shirt covering the armour was red with blood. One could still see the Royal British blazon embroiled on it, gold upon black. His helmet was black as well, save for three red slashes painted and carved in the metal. The overall quality of the attire and the equipment demonstrated the place of the warrior in the Nobility. Much higher than Henri's own.

Henri didn't see the iron gauntlet covered fist that hit his face, breaking his jaw.

"Ye shall nae warn th' Demon, ye traitor!" The knight hissed, in a thick brogue of the Scottish Highlands. "In fact, yer sinful days o' worshipping th' She-Demon will end taeday. Yers and yer mongrel of a lass'."

These words were uttered with such a calm hatred. They were not a threat but a promise, as he pulled a Claymore sword from his sheath.

"I, Comte Henri Ducard III, don't fear you, Sir Canmore." Henri said bravely, picking up his own blade. He looked upward, seeing the sky darkening fast and steady, and grinned.

"Ye donna stand a chance, ye pathetic whelp. I shall put ye out of misery quickly. And I shall cut yer head. Eve' yer head look demonic." The tall Hunter boasted. "Watch car'fuly, lass, fer yer turn will follow."

Henri attacked, but Sir Canmore was younger, stronger and better trained, and dodged the slash with great ease. Twisting his torso, then his hip, Canmore followed his move, thrusting his stronger leg high above the ground. The foot's heel caught Henri on the side of the head, sending him swirling in midair a good five feet above the dusty ground.

Henri landed heavily on the street, his head dizzy, his sight filled with spots of bright colours. If he saw Canmore approaching, his claymore poised for the deathblow, he didn't react to it.

"No!" Talia screamed. This couldn't end like this! Not after having fled Hunyadi's personal assassins, when they were so close to free her childhood friend Radu… Not when she finally found a loving husband in that young French knight. Talia jumped in front of Henri, taking the blow meant for her husband.

The heavy blade cut through her midsection like it was butter, shredding the linen of her dress, her delicate skin, her toned muscles and soft tissues, also exploding her spine. Her eyes grew wide for half a second, then lifeless as she collapsed on the ground in two separated heaps.

"TALIA!" he screamed, but his scream was covered by an inhuman shriek.

A figure landed a few yards away, where Talia's torso had fallen. It was tall, azure skinned, with a mane of red hair and definitely feminine attributes.

"Talia…" The creature whispered, as she touched the cheek of the fallen woman. The creature's eyes filled with tears, as her four-fingered hand brushed a streak of raven hair from the paling face.

"Demona." Henri called painfully, through his broken jaw.

But Demona didn't seem to hear him

She turned toward the Hunter, who took a step back. Her face was streaked with tears, but her eyes were burning like a couple of setting suns

"DEMONA!" he shouted, doing his best not to wince from the pain he was feeling. "This Canmore is mine."

Henri had had his share of those corrupt nobles who though they could live like they pleased, treating the less fortunate like cattle- who kill for no reason. No more. This ended now!

Henri steadied himself as best he could and advanced on Canmore.

"Fool!" the Hunter growled. "Ye think ye beat me!"

"Perhaps not, but I will kill you none the less, murderer." Henri shot back, as he raised his sword.

Without another word, he charged. His strength was fuelled by his rage, but the same rage was also clouding his judgement.

"Nae bad, traitor," Sir Canmore taunted, blocking attack after attack "but nae guid enough."

Then, with a swift stab, the Scottish knight impaled Ducard on his Claymore. But to his surprise, his foe was still up on his feet, glaring heinously at him.

With his gauntlet-clad hand, Henri pulled on the blade, stepping forward. Impaling himself further, but at the same time, getting closer to his enemy, his hand maintaining the huge weapon steady, despite Canmore's best effort to dislodge his blade.

Demona's breath was caught in her chest as she was watching Ducard marching on the Hunter. _No! Not another one!_ She won't allow it!

Henri stopped momentarily, his step unsure, and coughed. Drips of blood sprayed on his killer's armour.

Forcing himself to take deep breaths, each more painful than the previous, Henri steadied himself and looked upward. Through the helm, Canmore's and Ducard's gaze met… A mere second before Henri plunged his own sword in Canmore's chest, barely missing the heart.

The hunter let out a surprised gurgle, releasing his hold on the Claymore's handle and, letting the sword go. "A…Another Hun…ter will come." Then Canmore collapsed on his knees than backward, on his back, trying, uselessly, to draw some air on his pierced lung. A few heartbeats later, the Hunter was no more.

"HENRI!" Demona screamed as she ran to his side on all fours. Effortlessly she broke the Scottish blade, relieving Henri's wound of some of the Claymore's weight.

"I got him, didn't I?" Henri asked the blue skinned gargoyle with a weak smile on the lips.

"Yes, brave knight, you did." Demona replied softly.

Ducard smiled, closing his eyes. "Then I can…"

"NO! Wake up, Henri!" Demona screamed, "You can't die! Not yet!"

"Not… up…to me." Henri replied tiredly.

Demona gently placed one of Henri's arms around her shoulder. "I know a way. But we have to go now."

"Ta…Lia."

"She's in a better place, now." Demona whispered. "Come."

For an unknown amount of time, Demona supported most of Henri's weight as they wound their way through the invaded city, taking the darkest alleys, until they finally entered in a cellar. Or at least what looked like a cellar. Except, this one went down further than a normal cellar- deep into the undergrounds of Constantinople.

"Are we… descending to Hell?" Ducard asked, his voice echoing in what looked like a buried cathedral.

"No, my friend, to your salvation." Demona reassured him, her own voice echoing in the subterranean cittern.

Eventually, they reached a wooden door. Demona let Henri gently slide on the ground. He was pale, barely breathing, and struggling to stay conscious.

Through narrowly open eyes, he noticed small flowers budding from the ground. _How was it possible!_ The flower was blue colored poppy. And present in great number, making the ground look blue for as far as Demona's torch was lightening this…place. Even on the pillars, Ducard could see poppies.

"Poppy of Phobos" Demona said, answering the unasked question that just passed by Ducard's mind. "That's what the Ancient Greeks called that plant."

Demona couldn't develop her explanation further, as the door opened, revealing a tall man. Moorish, even taller than Canmore was, bald, but dressed like an Ottoman, two scimitars hanging at his belt.

"Lady Demona?" the man asked in Aramaic, surprised. "We thought you left the city."

"No, Ubu." Demona answered in the same language "My apprentice and his wife had a run in with the Hunter. He fought bravely, but sustained a bad wound.

Understanding dawned to the warrior's face. "You want to use the Pond to save him?" the man – Ubu - asked. "I don't know if the Seer will allow it. Only the bravest of the League is allowed…"

"Henri Ducard earned that right, Ubu!" Demona exclaimed hotly. "And it was the Seer who told me where I could find my apprentice."

"Fine" he sighed. "Even if he isn't, your boy won't live long enough to tell other of the League of Shadows."

"Thank you, Ubu." Demona said, as she helped Ducard up to his feet.

Ubu guided them through a maze of corridors and passages. On the edge of unconsciousness, Henri could see people's head popping up from entrances carved in the walls. Men, women, and children.

Who knew that so many people were living beneath the surface, beneath the burning buildings of Constantinople.

They finally reached a stairway heading down. A faint light was coming from downstairs, illuminating the steps in an eerie way. It took the gargoyle and the dying human a few minutes to reach the bottom.

And what was waiting them took their breath…even Demona's.

They were standing on the edge of a cliff, inside of a gigantic cave, large enough to contain the Coliseum of Rome. Ducard looked up, at the vault, covered by luminescent moss and crystals. Below, as far as he could see, there was a lake of bubbling yellowish brown mud, going to the far end of the cave. An acrid smell kept him from loosing consciousness again, and yet gave him some sense of fright.

There stood off to one side a small form covered in a cloak made of animal –a wolf, by the look of it- hide from the head down, on which hung trinkets and talismans. A thin arm was emerging from under the cloak, looking almost mummified, clinging on a carved staff taller than the person herself.

Two kohl-circled eyes were peering from beneath the cloak, above a crooked nose. Oddly, that old woman was scaring the life out of Ducard, filling him with an ageless terror.

"You brought him, at last, my child." The old crone spoke. Henri knew that language, it was Hebrew.

He grew up hearing this language in his native Palestine, in his father's domain. Then it hit him. He hard heard a rumor among the slaves of his father, when he was a child, about an immortal cannibal crone known as the Seer of Cappadocia. Mothers used to threaten their children with the Seer. "Eat your mil or the Seer of Cappadocia will take you away and eat you instead!"

So the legends were true, after all. The Seer was real.

She pulled off the hood of the cloak, and Ducard screamed. He screamed so hard it hurt. He screamed, for the old woman's head was nothing but a rotting skull, maggots springing out of her mouth… an yet, it didn't seem to trouble her to speak in any fashion. _I'm imagining things_.

"Me connais-tu, petit homme?" she asked him in his mother tongue, French. Her face slowly reverted to a more normal nature. Do you know me, little man?

"Vous êtes l'Oracle de Cappadoce." He replied, his voice hoarse, and then he repeated in Hebrew, then English. "You are The Seer of Cappadocia."

"Quite right, little man, quite right. I've seen the world become more and more corrupted since my Queen Goddess Toth Khepera banished me from Kemet…the country you call Egypt. So long ago… I forgot my very name" She walked closer "why have you come to the Pond of Sutek?"

"I don't know, melady."

"Do you seek out my immortality? Do you expect the Pond to bring you back from the realm of the Western Lands?"

"Will it help me fight the corruption?" Henri asked, growing weaker.

"It might." She replied.

"Then yes. I have to live."

"No gift this worth is free of price." The Seer warned after a pause. "Are you prepared to pay it, for what you desire?"

"Y… yes." Henri said, now barely conscious.

And no later than his answer came through his lips, the old crone grabbed his wrist and twisted it, promptly propelling him over the edge, plummeting 150 feet down into the pond.

Demona waited for agonizing seconds after her apprentice fell into the pond. If it was too late, if the fall killed him… then all of this would have been for nothing. Ubu was standing behind her, looking concerned. Finally, the constant boiling gained in intensity, and finally erupted upward, a human form in its middle. The chest and shoulder were broader. The figure landed graciously on the cliff. Aside from the broader chest, his eyes were different, as well. The skin below his eyes was darker and the eyes themselves were bloodshot. His movements were fast, and in the blink of an eye, he was on Ubu and grabbed him by the neck, and effortlessly, raised him above the ground, then marched to the edge of the cliff. Ubu's legs were dangling in the void above the Pond. A low growl came from Ducard's throat.

"Henri!" Demona called.

"Henri Ducard is dead, Demona. You know, the Hunter had called me Demon's Head." He said, then turned his head back to Ubu, who was struggling to breath. "Tell me, warrior of the Shadow, how do the people in Ottoman lands say Head of the Demon in their language?"

"Ra's… Ra's Al Ghul."

_Oh, no! There's no turning back, now…_

… _you've__ woken up the demon… in me._"

Dominique did a double take, as she heard the song in the auto radio system, completely out of place in the 15th Century Constantinople, and, in the background, other cars behind her honking.

When she looked up, she saw the traffic light was green.

She muttered an oath, realizing she had been day dreaming, and quickly drove past the crossroad. She was now heading West, toward Soho.

Taking a glance on the sheet she was holding against the driving wheel, where she had written down direction to Elisa's place, Dominique was driving smoothly through the January's early morning rush hour.

_Get up! Come on get down with the sickness_

_Get up! Come on get down with the sickness_

Dominique was surprise to realize that her breath was rasping and shallow, as a cold sweat pearled on her brow.

_Get up! Come on get down with the sickness_

_Get up! Come on get down with the sickness_

She hadn't though about that tragedy in years. God, how could she have been so selfish? Sure, she had saved Henri's life… but what about his soul? She had damned him, sure enough.

_Open up your hate and let it flow into me_

_You mother get up_

But now, she knew better. She was a different person, a better person

_Come on get down with the sickness_

She remembered the brief time she had spent with the Detective…with Elisa, a few nights ago. Once again, Demona had let her fear get the best of her. Despite what she had taught Henri, so long ago about overcoming his fear… She was still toy to her own fear.

_Come on get down with the sickness_

_Madness is the gift that has been given to me_.

STOP! ENOUGH!

NO MORE!

Dominique pushed a nervous thumb on the NEXT button of the Hi-fi installation, so fast it skipped a track. On the display, the title of the track appeared: **_DISTURBED - 06- Fear _**

The last thing she needed was a song about hatred and madness.

On a second though, she simply pushed the STOP button, and drove in silence, with only the hum of her car's engine, and the street background noise to break the monotony.

**O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O**

**New Gotham**

To anyone standing at the base of Wayne Tower, the building was impressive- perhaps even daunting. Helena Kyle had leapt off the cornices, of this same building with a shout of exhilaration many times over the years. She knew every nook and cranny, every shadowed spot, along the outside surface of the structure, and yet she had not once set foot inside of it. Ever.

So, as she and her father pulled up the pressed packed steps leading up into the Tower, Helena Kyle-Wayne, felt a tiny sense of trepidation well up inside of her. This was it. Once she set foot on those concrete steps there was no turning back. She would forever be giving her life over to the life that her father had lived, one that could not be easily walked away from.

"What the hell was I thinking?" she muttered quietly to herself, as the limo stopped.

"Cold feet?" her father asked.

A glower in his direction confirmed what she had thought she'd heard. He was the tiniest bit nervous as well. His pulse was up, his breathing had shallowed slightly, and if she concentrated enough, she could smell the adrenaline starting spread through his body causing the same fight or flight reaction in his body that was coursing through her own right now.

She smirked. "That wasn't a dig now was it? Because if it was I could come back with something snappy like, 'I'm not the one who runs in the family'."

She watched him fight the wince, as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I think you'll do just fine in the boardroom."

Alfred had opened the door and was holding his hand out for her. She almost balked, but then remembered the role she was now playing. Taking a deep breath she accepted the proffered hand and stepped out into the public eye as Helena Kyle-Wayne for the very first time.

Her father stepped out behind her, threaded his arm around hers and gave her a gentle nudge to keep her moving through the throngs of reporters that were being kept at bay by police and security.

There were a hundred men and women shouting for his attention, but he simply ignored all of them until he reached the top of the steps where he and Helena were safely behind the ropes that gave them several feet of space. He let go of his daughter's arm and turned to face the media and held his hands up. Almost immediately the noisy crowd hushed.

"Wow…that's pretty cool. Think they'll do that for me?" Helena muttered quietly.

Bruce Wayne smirked back at his daughter. "When they find out who you are they'll be hanging on your every word," he murmured back before addressing the crowd.

"I know all of you have a great deal of questions for me, all of which will be addressed in due time. To give you the basics, I suffered a….hard personal loss nearly a decade ago. While I have been in touch with Wayne Industries over the years, I have left the running of my business to my business advisors and my Board. It had recently come to my attention however that due to my lack of presence Wayne industries have become a target for several other large corporations for a hostile takeover. Wayne Industries has been in the family for four generations now and I have no wish to see that name go down on my watch. So as of today, I will be resuming control of my company."

"Mr. Wayne who is the young lady that has accompanied you today?" a single reporter called out.

Bruce held his hand out and Helena joined him, her chin rising slightly, her eyes glinting as she readied herself to the challenge ahead of her. Despite everyone's best efforts, she had refused to wear the typical 'corporate wear'. But she realized her standard club wear wasn't exactly appropriate either. So she crossed the two and came up with a stylish outfit that had already turned more than a few heads. She wore classy black slacks that hugged her form and flared out slightly around her heeled boots. She had a simple white blouse that ruffled showed a generous a modest amount of cleavage, without being too distracting. But she hadn't been able to give up her leather completely. So instead of her long duster, she had settled for a trendy mid-thigh length leather jacket that not only provided some warmth against the cold weather, but also added that touch of adventure and danger that always surrounded her.

"I'd like to introduce to you my daughter, Helena Kyle-Wayne. She'll be working side by side with me over the coming months- perhaps years- in learning how to run Wayne Industries. She'll be taking over the company for me when I plan to retire."

There was dead silence as they digested that bit of shocking news and then they went nuts again.

"Do you plan on retiring soon!"

"Kyle-Wayne….does that mean she is the daughter of Selina Kyle?"

"Is Selina Kyle's' death the reason you left?"

"Do you know that this young lady is really your daughter?"

"How long have you known you had a daughter?"

Bruce raised his hands once again and they quieted. "I will be making a statement to the press tomorrow afternoon, in which Helena and I will answer as many of your questions as we can. But as you can imagine we have a great deal to catch up on and a full day of Board meetings. So if you will excuse us ladies and gentlemen."

With that, he turned, offered Helena his arm once again and they strode into Wayne Tower. Helena chuckled as she looked over to her father. "It's all an act," she said in mild wonder.

He smiled a tiny bit at that. "Welcome to the stage."

As they walked inside the grand foyer, a huge crowd of people began to cheer and applaud the return of their employer. Helena hung back and watched as her father personally greeted a number of them by first name, asking small questions about their welfare of that of particular family members. He took his time, not brushing them off even though most he chatted with were lower level employees. It was amazing to Helena to see how many people had stayed loyal to Wayne Tech over the years even without a Wayne at the helm.

As the large crowd slowly dissipated, and began to return to their duties, and elderly man approached from the back of the foyer and smiled warmly at Helena and Bruce. Bruce hugged the older man, another gesture that surprised Helena.

"It's good to see you again Lucius."

"It's good to have you back Mr. Wayne. And I see you've brought company," he grinned as he turned to Helena and bowed slightly at the waist.

"Lucius I'd like you to meet Helena Kyle- Wayne. Helena, this is Mr. Lucius Fox. He's the only man I will ever trust this company to in my absence and the reason Wayne Tech has remained so strong all these years."

"Mr. Fox," Helena greeted as she shook the older man's hand and flashed him a winning smile.

Lucius looked over at Bruce, astounded. "You've told me to be ready for a surprise in the past, but I think all of those pale in comparison to this. A daughter?"

"Trust me Lucius, I was as surprised by it as you are."

Lucius looked ready to say something else, but then he glanced at the young woman standing next to his employer and closed his mouth. He took a closer look at Helena and then smiled as if he had reassured himself that she was indeed truly his daughter. Helena couldn't fault the man.

"Don't worry Mr. Fox, I'm not some girl who suddenly popped up, claiming to be the long lost child of Bruce Wayne. My mother, whom I believe you knew well, decided to not tell my father about me until shortly before her murder. I had no idea who my father was until after her murder."

Lucius frowned slightly as he looked over at Bruce. With a brief word of excuse, the elderly man pulled Bruce aside firmly. "You knew you had a child by Selina and yet you still left? My God Bruce why didn't you at least let me know about her? I could have seen to her well being while you were away!" Lucius reproved sternly. "I cannot believe you of all people would abandon your own blood when she needed you the most."

Helena turned away to pretend that she was examining the foyer, to hide the smirk she couldn't fully suppress."

Her father sighed. "Trust me old friend, I've gotten this lecture from more than one person already. Selina had already arranged for her to be taken care of by Barbara, and Helena didn't want to have anything to do with me at the time. If anything she blamed me for her mother's death and has wanted nothing to do with me or the trust money I set up for her when I left."

"Where has she been all these years?"

"Here in New Gotham, with Barbara and Alfred and another girl they took in a couple of years ago."

"And she's never touched the money you left?" he asked skeptically.

"She's just like her mother Lucius," Bruce told him with a faint smile. "Proud and independent."

Lucius inspected the young woman again, who looked over her shoulder at the two men and flashed them even white teeth. "She looks just like her mother did," Lucius agreed quietly. "What changed her mind?"

"Time," he answered quietly. Then he chuckled. "That and she finally had the chance to beat the crap out of me leaving her like I did."

Lucius laughed. "Then she is definitely like her mother. Does she know about your…nighttime activities?"

Bruce looked over at the older man. "Who do think has been carrying on the crusade while I've been away?"

"Hmmm. No wonder she was pissed at you."

Helena approached them at this point. "Well, the foyer is very interesting and all, but how about you take me upstairs now and show a girl how the big boys play?"

Lucius grinned. "This is a new millennium Ms. Kyle-Wayne. We like to keep things co-ed now," he said as he offered her his arm.

"I like you already Mr. Fox," she laughed, as she accepted his arm and they began walking towards the elevators. "Well, seeing as how my father has started to let you in on some of my secrets I'll let you in on another," she told him as she leaned towards him.

He looked at her and jumped slightly as her eyes flashed gold. "I inherited more than a few of my mother's…traits. I figure that since my father respects and trusts you enough with the knowledge of dual identity, it's only fair that you understand the full extent of mine."

Lucius quirked an eyebrow. "So, I take it you overheard that entire conversation then?"

"I can hear a pin drop in a room full of cotton, smell what someone had for lunch yesterday, and fall off a fifteen story building and still land on my feet."

The older man smirked. "You, my dear, are going to slaughter them in the boardroom. They'll never know what hit them."

"I'm going to try my best Mr. Fox."

**O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O/O**

**Manhattan**

**Still Morning….**

As she sat in the now creeping traffic, Dominique had to be honest with herself- Elisa was her friend. She had proven that so many times over the past several years, that Dominique had lost count. The real question was, 'Am I Elisa's friend?' Over the years, all she had given the raven-haired woman was hatred, grief, and torment.

But things were changing now, and it felt good. Looking after the wounded human was not only cathartic for the immortal, but she was finally feeling at peace with herself as well.

Today would be a big step in the right direction.

When she finally arrived in front of the apartment building, Dominique recognized it immediately, and quickly turned in the visitors' parking lot. Over the years, she had visited Elisa's apartment quite a few times, but always from the sky. This was a first time for her. _Yet another one_, she mused as she climbed out of her car. A cold gust of wind reminded her of what season it was, and the red head picked up a coat from the back seat. As she was walking to the lobby, the grey sky finally began to release its burden and snowflakes started to fall.

The lobby wasn't anywhere near a five star palace, but it was well kept and clean. The outside's red color theme was reproduced inside, though more pastel in nuance, giving certain warmth to the ensemble. The floor was a pavement of beige marble like stones. At the center of the lobby, built like a hemi-cylinder against the wall, in front of a mirror, to the right of he locked door leading to the elevators, was the doorbells display. Elisa had nicknamed it the DHD, for a reason that escaped the red haired CEO.

"M-10…" Dominique said, reading her note aloud, then browsed the display, and easy enough, found it on the top far left. "MAZA, Elisa."

Dominique drew a deep breath and pushed the tiny button, her manicured red painted nail a bright contrast against the matte silver platting of the display.

"Yes?" came Elisa's voice, sounding somewhat strained.

"It's Dominique," she answered, a bit concerned when she picked up the distress in the other woman's voice.

It took ten good seconds before the typical buzz sound was heard and the door opened. Not bothering with the elevators, Dominique checked for the staircase, and opened the adequately labeled door. The fast paced clicking sounds of Dominique's high-heeled shoes echoed in the pit-like room, as she hurriedly climbed toward Elisa's apartment's floor.

The L shaped hall of the top floor had the bi-color theme like the lobby, burgundy and beige, decorated with a small table on which a lamp was posed, a chair, and some framed painting hanging on the wall. The hall also contained three doors; two doors on one side, and one –Elisa's - on the other. It was easy to guess which one was Elisa's apartment's door, as it was clearly marked. Not wasting more time, Dominique headed towards the door, and knocked, calling Elisa's name.

"Come on in!" Elisa called out. Her concern growing further with the detective's pain-filled tone, Dominique stepped in.

She recognized the setting, though it had slightly changed over the decade since her first unwanted visit. On the coffee table, beside half empty Chinese food carryout boxes, there was several DVD sets, and a rather large flat screen TV now decorated one wall. One thing that struck Dominique as she did a quick survey around the premises, were the pictures. If Elisa had to pick a profession other than police work, she could certainly moonlight as a photographer. She had over a dozen pictures of the Clan in various poses. Some while they were asleep in stone, others when they were awake and interacting with each other. All of them captured each individual's personality and emotion perfectly.

Dominique nearly jumped in surprise when she felt something rubbing against the leg of her trouser. Looking down, she saw Elisa's cat.

"Hello there little guy." The red head murmured, as she crouched down to gently scratch Cagney's chin, making him purr in turn. She'd always had a special affinity for the creatures. "Where is your owner?" she wondered out loud, not seeing any sign of Elisa.

Standing, she called out Elisa's name again. "I'm in here," came the frustrated reply from the bedroom down the hallway.

Moments later, Dominique was standing in Elisa's bedroom doorway, trying to suppress a smirk as she took in Elisa's current predicament. It was obvious the detective had been struggling for some time to dress herself, having managed to pull on a pair of very loose fitting cargo pants. However, she was currently struggling with an article of clothing that had frustrated the immortal herself after she had been forced to live half her existence as a human. She still wondered what the inventor or the brassiere had been thinking when they made the difficult garment. Was it a woman's rite of passage when she was finally able to snag the two small hooks through the loops, with your arms bent behind you in an awkward position, using only your sense of touch?

The inability to accomplish something she had been doing for years, was taking its toll on Elisa however. The mixed expressions of both physical and emotional pain, humiliation, and frustration in the human's eyes quickly squashed any humor that Dominique had initially felt. That and the small red dots that were beginning to seep through the fresh bandage on Elisa's side.

"Are you okay?" she asked a bit hesitantly.

"Do I look like I'm okay!" Elisa finally exploded. "I've been trying to clasp this thing for the past half hour!" she ranted, before finally ripping the offending garment completely off of her and hurling it across the room. It narrowly missed Cagney who had come in to see what all the noise was about, sending the cat scampering back out of the room. Elisa immediately regretted her small tantrum, and sank to her knees with a sob, clutching her aching side.

Dominique stood next to her for a brief awkward moment before she knelt next to Elisa and tentatively pulled her into a hug. The detective's shoulder's shook within her gentle grasp, as the injured woman struggled to control her sobbing. "It's okay Elisa," Dominique whispered. "Trust me, you need to let this out…there's no rush to leave right now," she encouraged.

As they had a few nights before, they stayed in the embrace for several long minutes before Elisa seemed to have vented at least some of her grief and anguish for the moment. Elisa sat back, finally realizing her topless state and blushed furiously as she sniffed and looked around for the bra. Dominique stood and retrieved the undergarment.

"How about some help this time?" Dominique suggested as she reached down to help Elisa back onto her feet. Elisa wordlessly allowed it, though the immortal could feel her sudden discomfort. "I know I sure as hell could have used some the first few times I needed to put one of these damn things on," Dominique grumbled, trying to ease the detective's discomfort as she fastened the clasp in the back.

Elisa cleared her throat, quietly thanking Dominique for her help. Truth be told, even though it stung her pride to rely on someone for help, she _was_ grateful for Dominique's assistance. That and the fact that the red head had made no further comments about her severely marred physique. With her entire torso exposed, she hadn't been joking when she said she'd be a roadmap…and then some. Scars from previous gunshot wounds, knife injuries, and the ensuing surgeries to fix the damage furrowed the skin in nearly a dozen places.

Dominique was silently wondering how the woman could even stand to be wearing a bra, given the number of huge greenish yellow bruises across her torso, several of them standing out prominently on her sternum and right breast. To say that the number of battle scars the detective had acquired over the years also amazed her, was also an understatement. If Elisa was already sensitive about her possible facial scarring, Dominique figured she was equally uncomfortable with the scarring on her torso, so she refrained from making any comments. Instead, she simply inclined her head and smiled when Elisa quietly thanked her.

Elisa felt a small smile creep onto her face in spite of herself, and she nervously shifted her weight as an awkward silence fell over the room. Dominique looked around for a moment, then back at Elisa, and the two broke into a nervous laugh.

The shared laughter seemed to evaporate some of the tension, and a genuine smile finally lifted Elisa's features. "I'm sorry….I just feel…like I'm back in Junior High or something."

"And now I know what it feels like to be in Junior High," Dominique replied with a more relaxed chuckle. _Will wonders never cease? I, of all people, made Elisa Maza smile. _"So do you need help with the rest?" she asked gesturing to the tasteful sweater that was lying across the bed.

"Um, I think I can handle it from here."

Dominique nodded and busied herself with examining the detective's room as she watched her struggle with the sweater from the corner of her eye. When Elisa gave a small triumphant noise, Dominique turned her full attention to the wardrobe on the opposite side of the room. Amused, Dominique noticed the carving on the top of the wooden French doors. On the left door was carved the head of a lion, on the right, a witch.

"My grandfather Carlos made that wardrobe for me when I was a child, shortly before he passed away." Elisa explained, with a soft smile. "As you can see, he had a certain sense of humor, joking with the story that my mother used to teach me to read."

"Which was?" Dominique asked, although she had a fairly good idea.

"The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis." Elisa explained.

The wardrobe was open, and so Dominique casually glanced over Elisa's clothing. For a woman of her taste, the lack of dress clothing was appalling. Granted, Elisa's lifestyle and salary didn't really warrant her buying more than the three or four dressy outfits. She pulled out one particular dress, carefully examining it. It was a silky black cocktail dress that didn't leave much to the imagination. It was also of high quality and must have cost Elisa a small fortune.

Turning she held the dress up with a raised eyebrow. "That would be Fox's doing," Elisa admitted. "They kept putting my name on their damn lists whenever they threw a function that involved the Department. Fox finally cornered me, demanding to know why I never came, and when I told her I had nothing to wear she dragged me to some high priced store and blew my month's salary on that damn dress."

"She didn't even offer to buy it for you?"

"She insisted on buying it, but I wasn't about to have my career ruined over a dress that'll come out of the closet maybe once a year."

Dominique replaced the dress and skimmed over the remaining clothing. "Hmmmm."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Don't 'nothing' me," Elisa said exasperated.

"You really need to go shopping Detective," Dominique assessed as she turned back towards Elisa.

"Unlike some people, I have to work long hard hours to make enough money to pay for rent and food, let alone blow money on clothes," Elisa answered somewhat annoyed. "I've got what I need for work and sleep and it's not like I'm on the Manhattan social list anyway."

"Every woman should have at least a little variety in her wardrobe. And definitely more than….four pairs of shoes," Dominique said gravely serious. "I'll take you shopping because you haven't arrested me before so it won't look like your taking a bribe from a former convict."

Elisa blinked and shifted her weight again. "Yeah, well we'll see," she responded, almost defiantly.

Dominique simply grinned. "You ready to go?"

Elisa nodded, and the two headed downstairs to the garage level where Elisa gawked at the fire red Lamborghini Diablo the immortal walked towards. "No limo?"

"With the right vehicle, driving can be almost as thrilling as gliding." Dominique smirked.

Elisa balked. "Yeah, when you've got more horsepower under the hood of a single engine than the whole Clan put together. You actually drive this thing around the city?"

"In this traffic? I almost never take this into the city. It's at home on the quieter roads upstate, where I can easily outrun the state troopers if need be," she said casually as she pushed a button and the car unlocked with a beep.

Elisa looked over at the redhead from her side of the car and shook her head. "I so did not hear that," she muttered as she opened the door and ducked her head to look inside. She let out a low whistle of appreciation, and Dominique told her to quite dawdling and get in. Inside she looked back over at the immortal, a hint of her old smirk, playing at her lips. "So a Diablo huh?"

The red-head merely smirked back. "Fitting, don't you think?"

Mid-morning… 

Elisa had been in a few nice homes over the years. Hell, she had a castle that was practically her second home. Wyvern's architecture was a thing of wonder. But the palatial abode of Dominique Destine, was a thing of beauty. The park-like grounds offered quiet solitude away from the bustle of the city, and the mansion itself was elegant without being too decadent.

After Elisa had been given a brief tour of Dominique's home, she was led back into the library. "So what should I call you when you're in human form?" Elisa asked out of the blue, as she gazed at the rows of books surrounding her.

The red head looked back at Elisa and shrugged. "When my dual identity is not at risk of being exposed? Whatever you wish Detective."

Elisa nodded and then watched as she pulled a book out, opened it to reveal a keypad and punched in a quick set of numbers. There was hiss, and then an entire section of the bookcase slid back and to the side to reveal a staircase that led to a secondary hidden basement. "Isn't that a little clichéd for you?"

"Perhaps, but make no mistakes Detective. Only I can safely activate the opening of the stairwell. Anyone else that tries to head down these steps without my company, would not reach the bottom alive.

"Nice," Elisa muttered, but she followed Demona down the barely lit passageway, having to accept the immortal's help when the strain on her leg began to grow too much. At the bottom of the stairwell, there was another keypad and a voice command that sounded suspiciously like a spell, to open the heavy iron door.

Elisa tapped the metal. "Worried about some of Puck's cousins trying to barge in on your hobby room here?"

Demona scowled deeply. "The Fey have brought me more pain and suffering in my life than help. Every time I see Owen, it takes all of my self-control to keep myself from bashing his skull in with my iron mace. Puck's 'gift'" she spat sarcastically, "may have allowed me to roam this world more freely during the daytime. But every day I have my body ripped apart and then put back together twice. If I could make him feel just a fraction of what he has condemned me to endure for eternity, then he wouldn't have been quite as cruel with his prank."

Elisa raised an eyebrow at that revelation. She had heard from Angela that Demona's transformations were unpleasant, but she suspected that the young woman had not been privy to just how horrible they really were. Given the barely restrained malice in Demona's voice, Elisa decided that the immortal's description of her transformation wasn't being embellished.

The policewoman cleared her throat and looked around, hoping to change the topic and cool the redhead down. "So this is security room?"

She watched as Demona took a calming breath. "In a sense. I can have access to the security system from various strategic points throughout the mansion, much like Xanatos. This is a safe-room of sorts. If need be, I could blow the whole place up and remain untouched in here. This entire room surrounded by three feet of iron plated steel."

Man, she really hated the Fey, thought idly as she glanced nervously at the weapons rack. Despite their earlier moments of bonding- or whatever the hell it was- Elisa couldn't help but feel a tiny bit nervous standing her unarmed in her former enemy's weapons room. And then she frowned as she spotted one weapon that looked surprisingly familiar.

"Is that what I think it is?" she whispered hoarsely, the color starting to drain from her face.

Demona walked up behind her and sighed regretfully. "Not quite. It was a prototype that was developed during bid for a government contract five years ago. It was originally designed to be a lighter anti-tank gun that foot infantry could carry. Xanatos won the bid," she admitted grumpily.

"I fired the entire design team, and one of them went to work for Davis shortly thereafter. After the HQ's hit the street, I suspected that it was the same prototype with some new modifications. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I found out for sure that the maggot had tried to sell the newer design to Davis. Davis never put it into production, but they had the blueprints for it in their database."

"How did you find that out?"

"Moles. It's the name of the game in the corporate world."

Elisa nodded to herself. "Canmore worked in their Security department, and had access to the plans. He stole them, and then funded their black market production."

Demona smirked. "The weapon had one fatal flaw that worked to your advantage."

"What was that?"

"One shot, could blow the thing up like a string of grenades. I heard you and the other detective put on quite the fireworks display in New Gotham that night. I don't know if you noticed, but any man armed with the weapon, made sure they had good cover to fire from. The gun is bulky and they didn't want to risk having it hit."

Elisa went quiet at the reminder of that night, and Demona silently kicked herself as she saw the haunted look begin to fall over Elisa's face. "Thankfully I have little use for this wall anymore. Now I devote most of my time in my Sanctuary."

"Sanctuary?" Elisa asked with a puzzled look. There was nothing else much of interest in the room, and she couldn't remember hearing the immortal use that term during the nickel tour she had given of the rest of the estate.

This time, the words Demona uttered were clearly a spell, and a small section of the wall simply disappeared. Elisa drew in a startled breath, and hesitantly followed Demona through the dark portal. As soon as they were through, the portal closed and they were encased in darkness. Fear washed over Elisa immediately. Her breathing sped up, sweat began to bead on her brow, and her heart pounded in her chest as the claustrophobia surrounded her.

A match was struck, and she was hard pressed not to let out a noise of relief as the redhead began lighting candles around the room. Once they were surrounded by the soft glow of the scented candles, which also provided a welcomed warmth, Elisa began to relax. Demona was eyeing her curiously, but thankfully said nothing about the detective's near panic attack.

As her heart began to settle into a more normal rhythm, Elisa took in the sights and smells around her. They were in a room that would be considered small compared to the rest of the mansion. Too Elisa it was about the size of her bedroom, and strangely enough, almost a cozy feeling despite the dungeon-like look. Stone walls surrounded them on all four sides, a large bookshelf filled with ancient leather bound books, scrolls and papyrus papers. Another was decorated with various objects- talismans of one sort or another Elisa figured.

There was a low wooden workbench set against one wall with a single stool resting off to one side. Next to the table there was another large rack filled with various items and objects in jars and containers of all shapes and sizes. "Lemme guess," she said wryly. "Eye of newt, and wart of toad?"

"I like to refer to this as the spice rack," Demona responded mildly. She reached into a chest under the table and pulled out several large pillows and tossed them onto the center of the floor. "It really is amazing how easy it has become to acquire most of this stuff any more. Humanity's growing interest in the occult has resulted in the increase of those who deal in the various ingredients typically used in spell casting."

"You mean there's a cook book for this stuff?" Elisa asked incredibly.

"For most of the minor things. Thankfully, the heavy stuff actually requires someone with genuine skill and the general public has neither the access to nor the ability to handle such attempts. Ever hear of spontaneous combustion?"

"Saw it on Ripley's once," Elisa answered as she watched Demona pull a heavy tome off the shelf and caress it reverentially before setting it carefully on the workbench.

"That would be spell casting gone wrong. But not just any spell – the ones that pull magic from the caster. I lost control of a spell a couple of times myself in the past." The immortal shivered. "Not a pleasant way to go. I only did it twice and the first time was an accident."

"You incinerated yourself on purpose?" Elisa asked skeptically.

"I was in the middle of being tortured by a group of witch hunting humans at the time. They were also about to draw and quarter a young woman that had nothing to do with magic based on flimsy evidence. So I let a spell go wild and took the whole mob down with me before they could torture her as they had me."

Elisa blinked, a surprised look on her face. "Does it really shock you that I would take my own life so that I could kill my tormentors as well?" Demona asked flatly.

"No….I'm just surprised that you would have taken such drastic measures to protect another human."

Demona looked away, busying herself with flipping through the pages of the ancient tome. "She had come across an egg all by itself when she was a child and tended to it until it hatched. She cared for the hatchling until another Clan came by the area and took it into their Clan. She found me in the same cave as the egg. I had nearly been lynched by a mob in a neighboring village, and was too weak to fight her as she dressed my wounds and sat with me until sunset the next evening. She was one of the few humans I had an… alliance with throughout the centuries," Demona admitted quietly.

The immortal's demeanor shifted to completely business-like once she found the page she was looking for. Straightening, she moved over to the shelf, picked up a single small silver vial, and crossed back to the tome to consult the page for a moment further. "Make yourself comfortable Detective. It would be best if you would lie down on the pillows so that I have free access to your most severe injuries."

Elisa looked around her and began to have the first twinges of doubt. "Like I said before. I'm not really into having spells and stuff cast on me. No offense, but my only experiences with them in the past have all been bad."

Demona flashed her a toothy grin. "Don't worry Detective. I promise not to take advantage of you. This is merely some mud from a very special place that will speed up the healing process. There is a certain way it must be applied however for it to work properly though and given the rarity of this ingredient I do not wish to waste any of it."

"Magic mud huh?" Elisa asked skeptically.

"For someone whose entire ancestry is steeped deep in the arts of magic and has been to places such as Avalon and New Olympus, aren't you being just a little too skeptical here?" Demona sighed.

Elisa's new cynical attitude towards most things was beginning to wear on her patience. The darker woman had the grace to look somewhat chastised. "Sorry," she muttered as she reclined on the pillows.

"You might want to remove your pants so that I can attend to the injury on your leg as well."

"So where'd you get the mud?" Elisa asked, trying to shake off the small case of nerves that she had begun to develop.

"In a place that is even more secret than Avalon," Demona answered cryptically. Elisa watched as the immortal's gaze grew distant for a moment. "Being submerged in the mud can heal even the most mortal of injuries"

Elisa sat up, her features tightening. "You knew of such a place…and did nothing to save him?" she asked tightly.

Demona looked down at her sadly. "To be bathed in the mud is to be reborn- but not to the life you once knew. I made the mistake of trying to save a dear friend's life…at the cost of his soul. I will never again condemn another person I care about to such a fate…even if it means losing them forever in this realm," she finished hoarsely.

Elisa stared at her for many long moments, determining for herself that Demona was indeed speaking the truth. Then she looked at the small vial that was being clasped tightly in the redhead's hand. "If the mud is that dangerous, how do you know it will help me without harming me?"

Demona cleared her throat. "To be completely healed one has to be submerged at the point of death. But the magic properties are potent enough, that an application of a small portion onto an injured area, will aid in the body's natural healing progress."

Demona paused. "Just so you know, there is nothing I can do for your eye. The damage done by the Hunter's blow was permanent before you even reached the castle. I'm sorry."

Elisa struggled to fight the tears. She honestly hadn't come here thinking that anything could be done. But hearing those words from the last one who could give her any possible hope, was like being sentenced to life without parole. This was truly it.

"I understand," she answered roughly.

The sincere regret in the other woman's eyes was too much, and Elisa turned her head to the side as a few tears escaped. Demona turned away from her, giving her some privacy as she struggled with her emotions, and finished with her own preparations.

A few minutes later, Demona was kneeling over Elisa holding out a bowl of cloudy looking water. Elisa eyed it suspiciously. "It will help you relax," the immortal explained. "The application of the mud will burn for a few minutes, and this will help lessen the pain."

The detective didn't argue, just simply took the bowl and drank the acrid liquid in quick gulp. Her face twisted in disgust, and she coughed twice as the concoction burned all the way down to her stomach. But once there, she began to feel a quick numbness spread through her body as her mind began to drift aimlessly.

This was even better than her morphine drip. She had the same pleasant numbness without the suffocating unconsciousness. It was peaceful. "Wow…." She drawled, not even realizing she had spoken out loud. _So this is what it felt like to get high. No wonder people with crappy lives eventually turn to drugs. All the pain just disappears,_ she mused idly to herself.

Someone approached her again, and she rolled her head to the side to see a pair of bare feet that belonged to Demona. _When had she taken off her shoes?_ Demona was saying something to her, but she just grinned lazily back at her. She saw the vial being held up, and somewhere she realized that some pain was about to occur. Her shirt was pulled up to expose her injured side. She hardly even felt it when then bandages were pulled off.

Demona popped the cap off the vial, and picked up a tiny brush. With a final look down at Elisa, she was assured that the human was too drugged to feel the full effects of the mud. She dipped the brush into the vial, and began applying the mud in small dots strategically across Elisa's injured areas. While she could do nothing to restore the dark haired woman's eyesight, she could speed up the recovering surgical scars there. She also placed several small dots along the troubled knife wound, and the barely healed gunshot injury to her leg.

Elisa hissed suddenly as the mud began to seep into her body, and Demona quickly recapped the vial and set it back on the shelf. She returned to Elisa's side, moving to where she could restrain her if need be.

_Damn that stung_. She supposed it would have been a lot worse had she not been drugged, but she really didn't care either way. _Pain was good_, she remembered being told once. _It reminds you that you're still alive_. Question was, did she really want to still be alive? _Do I?_ she wondered randomly. _I wonder if this is what death is like? Peacefully floating along, not a care or worry about the world._

Demona watched carefully as Elisa's breathing began to even out as she slipped further into the drug's embrace. Her eyes began to flutter shut, and she struggled against sleep for only a brief moment before succumbing into the arms of Morpheus.

Break 

Elisa awoke with a start. Her good eye roamed about her unfamiliar surroundings in a near panic as she tried to calm her harsh breathing. "Easy," a familiar voice instructed calmly. "I moved you into a bedroom on the main floor once you fell asleep to make you more comfortable."

"Water," Elisa croaked out, her throat bone dry, her tongue feeling thick and cottony.

A tall glass was pressed into her hands as she was helped to sit up. He side still ached- actually it was burning mildly, and she groaned slightly.

"You will still be experiencing some discomfort over the next couple of days, but then it will begin to recede quickly."

"How quickly?"

"Granted you don't overtax yourself and undo what I just did, within a week."

Elisa finished off her water. "I'll be healed in a week?"

Demona shook her head. "The worst of it will be healed in a week. Once the mud wears off your body will resume it's normal healing rate. By then you should be left only with minimal scarring and some tenderness."

"I feel like I was run over by a truck," Elisa complained as she rubbed her throbbing temples.

"You're body is working overtime right now. You'll need to eat a great deal more than you normally do for the next couple of days. I've already had lunch delivered, and can bring you some if you think you can stomach it right now."

Truth be told, she was famished. She nodded, regretting the action immediately and groaned as she sank back into the pillows. "I'll be right back," was all she heard before she dozed off.

The smell of food, stirred her back to consciousness and her stomach rumbled loudly in anticipation. "Italian. Lots of carbs for your body to burn while the mud is in your system."

Elisa accepted the tray with a grunt of thanks as she tucked into the large serving of pasta. Several minutes later she sighed in relief as she finished her third piece of bread and gulped down the last of her water.

"Better?" Demona asked in a slightly amused voice.

Elisa smiled a bit sheepishly as she looked down at the remains of what had been an enormous meal for even the heartiest of appetites. "Yeah…thanks."

"I wasn't joking when I said you would need to eat more over the next few days. You'll be burning calories exponentially."

"Good thing I just had my sister help me restock my fridge and pantry. She always goes overboard."

Demona took Elisa's tray and then tossed her the remote on her way out of the room. "You should take a look at CNN. You're friends in New Gotham are all over the news today."

Elisa quickly flipped on the television and programmed in the proper number. "- been no official word yet on what prompted Mr. Wayne's sudden return, but there have been rumors over the past months of several other large corporations threatening the livelihood of Wayne Industries."

The screen was split as the anchorman came back into sight. "Mike, we heard Mr. Wayne announce that his daughter is Helena Kyle- Wayne. Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle were once in an item in the public spotlight. Is it safe to assume that Helena is the daughter of that union?"

"Our sources have confirmed that Helena is indeed the daughter of Selina Kyle. As many of our viewers may remember, Selina Kyle was tragically murdered in front of her daughter by one of the Joker's hit men. Mr. Wayne did mention in his brief statement to the press that his sudden departure from the public was at least in part due to some personal losses in his life. Given what we know of his past relationship with Ms. Kyle, it is reasonable to assume that her death had a personal impact on him."

"So is it known whether he has been raising Helena on his own out of the public's eye all these years?"

"Actually, from what we've learned, it seems the opposite. There are several unconfirmed reports from the locals here that Helena was placed under the guardianship of a local teacher Barbara Gordon and has been working locally as a bartender. Ms. Gordon is the daughter of Former Commissioner Gordon who was also attacked and left for dead by the Joker himself on the same night of Ms. Kyle's murder. We have been unable to reach Ms. Gordon for comment since she has gone into seclusion after the attack on her home by Harley Quinn the night of the Dock Wars."

The anchorman looked thoughtful. "Is it possible that all of these attacks, both past and present, are somehow linked?"

The field reporter tilted his head to the side and then shrugged. "It could be possible Steve. Harley Quinn, is the purported girlfriend to the Joker. But at this point it is all speculation, and most likely will remain so since Harley Quinn was killed,"

"What about her brother, Jacob Quinn, the man who was reported to be the ring-leader of the Dock War mercenaries?"

"He was immediately transferred to Arkham, and both the DA's office and city officials have been very tight-lipped about him. We have been learning over the past few weeks that there seems to be a shakedown of city officials. We are still piecing together our own evidence, but from what we can tell, the Dock Wars were fought by only a handful of officers and mostly civilians, due to the corruption that has begun to infiltrate all levels of government here in New Gotham."

The reporter consulted his notes. "So far, the stats are: three high ranking District Attorney's, four judges, two police captains, over two dozen officers, and two City Council members have been indicted on charges ranging from bribery to conspiracy to commit treason, and aiding or abetting terrorist activities. After the mass casualties suffered in the Dock Wars, and the potential damage that could have been done had the shipments not been stopped, it is very likely that any convicted in connection with these charges will receive severe punishments. Back to you Steve."

"Well Mike we thank you for that informative report, and we look forward to any more updates that you might be able to give us. In related news, the Governor of New York made a few brief comments on the funeral held at Wyvern Castle this past weekend for the gargoyle Clan Leader that fell in battle the night of the Dock Wars."

Elisa immediately raised her hand to turn the television off. "You should listen to what he said," Demona remarked as she came back into the room and settled into a chair off to one side where she could still see the TV.

With a sigh, Elisa dropped the remote and watched the speech that was recorded from earlier that morning. "These past few weeks, I have had brief contact with the gargoyles that live in Manhattan. On Friday night however, I had the honor and privilege of getting to know them. I only wish it had been under better circumstances, and once again I offer the Clan both my sincerest condolences and my deepest thanks on behalf of the citizens of both Manhattan and New Gotham.

"I went to the funeral knowing that there would be several high-level officials there. I had no idea that the most important ones would be the ambassadors sent from various other Clans from around the world that have come to know the Manhattan Clan. I must admit that this office has un-officially acknowledged the existence of the gargoyles for some time now. I truly regret that we never put forth the effort to get to know more about this amazing race that has dedicated their lives to protecting ours."

Either he was a really, really good actor, or he was genuinely sincere in his comments. "Many people in the past have called them beasts…animals…something evil to be destroyed," he continued distastefully. "Well I am here to tell you today, that while some of them may appear animal-like in appearance, they are some of the most human people I have ever had the privilege of meeting. Night after night, they relentlessly patrol the cities or villages they live in, selflessly protecting those within their domain. Their race has done so for centuries, with little to no recognition or gratitude.

"Well it's time we end that. These noble beings helped to stop a disaster that could have had widespread ramifications across this entire country. What amazed me the most however, was that they did so, in complete cooperation with the human friends that they had made over the years. This group of heroes, human and gargoyle, truly showed that our two races can live and work together in harmony. It is time someone stood up, and took some action to show the rest of the world that these living, feeling, caring, individuals deserve to be free amongst humanity, not hunted down and slaughtered like beasts."

He paused for dramatic effect, letting his words sink in before he continued. "I believe that we, the citizens of New York can rise to that challenge. The Statue of Liberty sits just off the coast of this very state, reminding us that New York was founded on welcoming people from varied backgrounds, without judgment. We owe it not only to them, but also to our American ancestors who fought so hard to give us our freedom, to give the gargoyle race theirs. With overwhelming approval from our state's Senators and Congressmen, I signed a Bill this morning granting any gargoyles that live within this state, full citizenship.

"As such, they will be treated like any citizen of the United States. They will be bound by our laws, but they will also be granted the same inalienable rights and privileges as any other American. As citizens of this proud state, I call on each and every one of you, to stand with me in this decision. To be the first to welcome the gargoyles as fellow countrymen. To be the first to show that the principles our founding fathers set forth in the Constitution, can be extended far beyond any of their wildest imaginations. To be the first to show that true brotherly love, knows no bounds. For if we can accomplish this, then there is no limit to what we can accomplish." He took a deep breath, seemed to calm himself though the look of excitement never left his eyes, before he nodded to the crowd he had been addressing.

Elisa noted that as the cameras had panned the crowd throughout the stirring speech, the few anti-gargoyle posters that had been visible at the start, slowly sank out of sight and several of the protestors were clapping and nodding in thought by the end. Elisa finally clicked off the TV as the report wrapped up. "Huh."

"I made a call to the Governor while you were asleep, asking of his sincerity to the cause. When he assured me that he was planning to do all he could to help incorporate the gargoyles into the public, I offered a substantial donation on behalf of Nighstone to further the pro-gargoyle campaign they're already working on."

Elisa looked over Demona and blinked in surprise. "What? You don't think someone of my nature would be so generous?"

"No….I just don't think I've every seen you so... casual."

Demona looked down at herself and shrugged. She was dressed in a pair of stylish sweatpants, an oversized flannel shirt, and was sprawled sideways on the chair, her feet dangling over the armrests. "I have spent most of my life being free of the restraints of most clothing. I absolutely abhor and loathe the business suits I am condemned to wear when I am in the public eye. When I am in the safety of my home, I enjoy the freedom of less confining and much more comfortable clothes, fashion be damned."

"This, from the woman who lectured me earlier that I needed to go buy more clothing," Elisa snorted.

"There is a difference. I at least have a wide variety to choose from when I go out each day. You on the other hand-"

"Yeah, yeah…need to have more variety. I'll get around to it some day," Elisa muttered, not wanting to get on the topic of her lacking wardrobe again. "So, um, how much is Nightstone donating?"

"One hundred million dollars," Demona smirked. Elisa gasped and she shrugged casually as she inspected her fingernails. "It was nothing, really. Besides, I had to outdo Xanatos who had managed to get through and donate before me, quick bastard."

"One hundred million? Jesus…that could fund the campaign for the next century!"

"Well the money will be used for quite a bit of things. For now it's all under one title, but it will also be used for funding the integration of any Clans who come forward, into society. All the details are still being worked out, and probably won't be ironed out until the Supreme Courts and Congress make a ruling on the true legal status of any gargoyles who do live in this country."

Elisa frowned. "So what he just said…"

"He has the right to grant them citizenship in this state. But it's more like giving them diplomatic immunity. But even as we speak meetings are being held and laws being drawn up to handle this situation."

Elisa examined Demona. "You honestly think this could happen... that they could finally be accepted by the public," she said, with more than a little wonder in her voice.

"Normally, I wouldn't trust a lawmaker any further than I could throw them- in this form at least," she added ruefully. "But after the various conversations I overhead the other night, and from my own contacts, I cannot ignore the fact that this situation has reached the highest level of not only our government but several others throughout the world. This country is aware of that and racing to set the precedent. I'll give you humans one thing," she said with a smirk. "Your pride to outdo one another in any matter, will always overrule your sense of judgment."

"Yeah, well let's just hope that they don't rush things faster than they should be. This is all good and well, but people are going to need a little time to adjust."

Demona watched as Elisa's eyes had slowly grown heavy over the course of their brief conversation. "The accelerated healing is also going to make you more tired than usual," she explained, as she watched Elisa fight her growing need to sleep.

"Maybe I should head back home," Elisa said as she began to struggle with the sheets.

"You'd be unconscious by the time we reached the car, and then I'd have to haul you up to your apartment. I don't know about you, but I know I certainly don't relish the thought of seeing that picture plastered all over the tabloids next week."

Elisa sank back into the comfort of the bed. "I just need a little nap."

"As do I," the executive announced as she stood. "I usually try to grab a few hours of sleep before each transformation. I'll see you just after sunset."

"…'k," came the sleepy response.

((More to Come soon!))


	36. Pause

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone for their comments and encouragement! Again, remember I'm taking some liberties with the comic/TV world here so don't get offended. Thanks again to Denis who guest wrote the whole first section of our dearly departed Goliath. To be honest, I wasn't going to get into too much detail about G, but then Denis had a great idea for a spinoff story for this one and to set that up we went with this. I'm hoping that some of your questions are being answered with these last few chapters, keep them coming to let me know if I've missed something!

Enjoy!

**Somewhere on a different Plane…..**

The night was falling on Los Angeles - or at least it did, in its Heavenly version- when the white Dodge Viper turned on Figueroa, heading south. Street lamps were starting to diffuse their yellowish lights down the streets. Behind them, Goliath could see the tall shape of the Library Tower that so reminded him of the Eyrie Building, shining white like a needle in the Angelino sky.

He has seen the Citicorp building earlier that afternoon. It was mostly like the mortal version of Down Town LA he had visited with Elisa, but the people around were more relaxed, their guards down. No fights, at most a light argument, between people of all kind of origins. And their clothes.

People that looked straight out a Philip Marlowe book, chatting idly with a couple dressed like the characters he had seen in these Zorro serials on TV. A group of Native American were playing music in the middle of a circle of tourists, clapping in rhythm.

That was utterly odd for the tall gargoyle.

A line came back to his mind, maybe not word for word, but the general sense of it: _"The first Matrix was made as __an__ utopia, a perfect place. It was a complete failure, a disaster; we lost entire crops before we pointed what the problem was: the Human can't stand happiness. He doesn't have the skill."_

What Agent Smith, if his memory served him well, said had revolted the noble gargoyle back then, but now, he started to see the truth in it- and it wasn't limited to the humans only.

The truth was, warriors like him, out of some battlefield lose their raison d'être. Vikings saw Afterlife as an eternal succession of feasts and battles. He himself chose to become a Guardian. Aimless eternal bliss wasn't made for him. He needed a purpose in life. In any life, it would seem.

"We're almost there, Big Guy" Sue Dibny told her passenger, pulling him from his reverie. "Time to meet your new team mates." She added.

Over the course of the afternoon, they had the chance to talk and get to know each other. She was an easygoing woman, but strong willed, heart driven, and a sharp mind.

Née Sue Dearbon, a socialite from Opal City, she was gifted with diplomacy skills that rivalled Princess Leia and a sense of organization. She met Ralph Dibny, the man who became her husband during a debutante ball that was crashed by some super-villains, chased by the Justice League of America. Once the threat was neutralized, and while most of the attendees stood back, still shocked, young Sue came closer and started to chew on the heroes.

Didn't matter that these people were among the most powerful beings on Earth and the Universe, Sue didn't hesitate to give them a piece of her mind!

Goliath was astounded how much alike were his Elisa and Sue Dibny. Sue and Ralph – also known as the Elongated Man – grew close, and married. Sue became part of the JLA, working as administrator and go-between the heroes and the official.

_Another similitude with Elisa_, Goliath had though.

Not even Lois Lane had such honour. Sue had been on first name basis with several heroes. Superman had looked up to her, Batman respected her and she'd even been like a sister to the Maiden of Might, Wonder Woman…when she was still Wonder Woman, not just Diana Prince-Kent as she was, nowadays.

Goliath remembered the footage of the funeral of the woman driving the car he was sitting in. He remembered Ralph crying on the shoulder of a blonde haired woman, and comforted by a brunette with a music-hall attire. He remembered Wonder Woman, solemn, a virginal white cloak wrapped around her, touching the coffin, speaking three words: "Farewell, Little Sister."

Goliath closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. The leather squeaked softly, as his wings rubbed against the manufactured, tanned skin.

Images were popping in his mind. Sue, several years younger, barely 30 - if even that – running in a hall. Through the bay view, Goliath could see stars…and the curve of Earth.

A white-gloved hand grabbed Sue's hair, and pulled her down forcefully.

_The scene changed_

A costumed man, with a small black goatee, and the most grotesque costume Goliath has ever seen, seemed to dances, under the impacts of a blindingly fast red blur, while emerald green arrows struck in the man's shoulder and thighs; boxing gloves made of green light punching him again and again, and a flying man the size of a mockingbird, but packing the kick and punch of a normal sized human buzzed around him. Finally, the bearded felon was immobilized and held by a winged man wearing a mask that looked the head of an eagle or a hawk. There were also two women. They were familiar to Goliath. Looking younger, yes, but definitely them. A blonde and a brunette.

"_Ahem"_

Sue, now looking the same age she had now, and dressed alike, was packing something. Peering closer, Goliath could see it was an antique magnifying glass, gold rimmed. On the table, near the elaborate birthday cake, another object was exposed out in the open. And it looked like…a thermometer? No. He has seen it before, at the Castle, a couple years ago, in Fox's hand, when she had believed to be pregnant again –a prospect that positively terrorised the red haired beauty. That object was a pregnancy test, and a word, attached to it, was saying "Daddy, two words: Test Positive"

When the phone rang, a feeling of dread filled Goliath, and a cold fist gripped his guts.

"**_GOLIATH!"_**

The loud invective pulled him back to reality. He looked at Sue, whom was glaring at him. Goliath, all mighty warrior he was, felt himself shrink under the glare. In New Gotham he had heard several times about the withering glare Batman could give. Alfred, Barbara and Dick had related several humorous stories about the varied responses the Bat-Glare, as they called it, had gotten over the years. He had heard from Bluestone, who had met Sue and some of the League –he was related to the Question, one of their reservist members, after all- that someone had mastered a glare that matched the infamous Bat-Glare and could make Superman all fidgety. He could see whose glare it was, now. She looked pretty upset.

"That's rude to pry into someone else's memories, Goliath of Wyvern." She said, her tone clipped.

But then, her expression softened. "You're new to is, so I'll let this one slide. But you need to learn to control your Scrying Eye, and not pry into other people's memories." A pause. "Especially traumatic ones."

Goliath looked, and felt, ashamed. He looked down, then felt a soft hand on his arm.

"Hey, no harm done, okay? It's not your fault if you weren't told. Someone didn't do his or her job when you arrived. Just be careful"

"I'll do my best, Sue"

_Sue, Sue, Suzie-Q…_ a voice rang briefly to his ears, but he did his best to close his mind to it. Sue smile approvingly, and nodded, as to say "See? You're learning already!"

"May I ask you a question, though?" He asked tentatively. This was all so confusing, he still felt in him memories that wasn't his.

"The blond haired woman I saw… She was at your… hum…"

"You can say it, you know. It's not a dirty word. FU-NE-RAL"

She looked pleased with her smart-assed answer as she grinned at him while he was looking at her annoyed.

"At your funerals, as I was saying, she was holding your husband. She looked pretty familiar, though I'm positive I've never met her… Or have I?"

Sue smiled at him approvingly. "You saw Carolyn Lance. She's…"

"Dinah's mother! Black Canary!" Goliath exclaimed, putting two and two together.

"Clever boy!" Sue giggled, patting his knee, before restarting.

Some humans were decidedly weird, whether alive or dead!

The rest of the trip was spent in silence, and when they arrived in front of a black non-descript two stories high building, beside the word "MIDNITE" written in aluminium, red colored letters, it was dark. But there was something else. It took Goliath a moment to realize they weren't in Heaven LA, anymore, but in the mortal side of the City. The Dodge stopped nearby, and they climbed out. Goliath, was shocked to notice that his partner didn't bother locking her car.

_By the Dragon, they must go through cars in the Afterlife like Broadway through noir novels and cooking books! _

Tags covered the front side of the building, while hookers were trying either to get some tourist to 'hire' them for a moment, or get partygoers to take them inside the club. There was a long line in front of the small French door, and watched by two men- probably retired football players, or small-time thugs trying to go straight.

When Goliath and Sue walked in front of the public, neither the public nor the bouncers seemed to notice them. Passing by, Goliath looked at the humans; it was almost as the people were looking everywhere, except in their direction.

"Follow me, Big Guy." Sue told him from the entrance.

Inside the building…well, the exterior completely belied the interior.

Rich carmine carpet, walls covered by dawn gold hued soft velvet…and framed original –if macabre- artworks by H.R. Giger, Steve Niles, Tim Bradstreet and John Vanfleet, and those were only the ones that Goliath could read the signatures of.

They walked deeper inside the building, and reached a staircase heading below. A tall Nubian athlete was guarding the access to the stairs, standing behind a blood red velvet cordon. In his hand he was holding a deck of unusual cards. The man lifted his head when the couple approached, startling the gargoyle.

_He can see us!_

As if Sue heard the silent question, she nodded, then turned toward the man, who already reached for the deck.

"He's with me, handsome. The boss is expecting us." Sue told him, as he was holding a card, with the back toward them, its picture hidden from them.

Yet Goliath could see it clearly, as if the card was translucent.

"The dancing Weird Sisters" he said, a Thailog-ish grin on his face.

"The Weird Sisters?" the medium bounced as he looked at the picture.

Three dogs, all of them wearing tutus, were dancing on their posterior legs. Three bitches dancing, in other words. Sue obviously got the joke, because when she was climbing down the marble stairs, she was laughing, and laughing hard.

Unnoticed by Goliath, carved runes gleamed under the rich carpet covering the marble. Nor did he notice the prickling sensation, as he had felt ten years prior in Scotland, when Hakon tried to steal his physical shell, and failed.

"Wait in the room, while I notify your squad leader we've arrived." Sue said, as they arrived in a small parlour, before pushing the double door open.

Goliath had seen what clubs looked like inside, he gone to some…to stop crimes, mind you. But he'd never been in one in public like this before. Looking around however, it was just like everything else he'd experienced so far in the Afterlife. Very unusual.

The humans present were Goths, for the most part. Some ghosts were also presents… and there, a few tables on the left, not too far from the dance floor, a young woman, not much older than young Dinah, back in New Gotham, was offering her wrist and elbows two a bunch of well dressed businessmen –and woman, who had their teeth, excuse-me, their fangs deep in her skin, a look of total, utter rapture on her face.

_Vampires._He though with a sneer. _Is this a test? Am I to slay this rotten lot to prove myself worthy?_ But as soon as he though that, the quatuor withdrew their fangs, and licked the wounds, making them disappear. The eldest looking of the four reached inside his blazer and handed an envelope to the girl.

"Here you go, pet. But remember, this is for college. Got it?" the girl nodded sheepishly. "Good. Now go to the kitchen, and eat something."

The vampire woman, brown haired, looking in her middle-to-late forties, slid something in the girl's hand.

"And here's something for you to have fun." The woman said with a conniving wink.

The girl looked in her hand, beamed, and leapt at the woman's neck to hug her. Giving a throaty laugh, the woman returned the hug.

"Now shoo, and don't forget to email me the grade you get in Monday's math test."

"Be good!" the third vampire said softly, his tone slightly feminine.

The teenager gave him a "yeeeaaah, right!" look, before heading toward a corner of the room, while waving to the four, leaving Goliath completely baffled by what he had just seen.

To avoid more confusion, he turned his attention toward the scene, where a band just started to play. Their look pretty much matched the other humans in the room. Grey or black shirts, dark hair –save for the guitar player, who had bleached blond hair- leather pants, and boots. What caught his attention was the cute singer of the band. She looked like a gothic version of Alice for Lewis Carroll's books. Her bare left arm displayed an elaborate tattoo on the biceps, a girl he recognized from a cartoon Lexington used to watch, Sailor Moon or Saturn something.

Above and behind them, on the wall, he could read THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE, with the letters slightly off centre, and drawn blood dripping from the high curve of Massacre's capital C. The music itself was a bit surprising. Seemingly discordant notes on the keyboard, and soft semi-spoken-semi-sung verse.

Then, suddenly, the song gained in tempo

_Take – Just one last dare_

_Pretend you don't care_

_Till __Twiii-liiight__faa-aals_

_Waiiit__! Is someone else __theeere_

_And I can't stop my tears_

_I've never been so __sca-ared_

"Great band, isn't it? They're from Canada." A young man, about twenty-two asked him.

"I guess so." Goliath said non-committally.

"It's rare we get mortal bands to play here, and they won't likely remember performing down here either. I can't even ask Chibi for her digits, she won't remember giving 'em to me, she won't remember me at all!" he sighed.

"I guess the living aren't cut to see much of the larger world without forcing themselves to forget or try to destroy what they see.

"Speaking from experience, huh?" the man asked with a slightly shrug. "I got to see some pretty tough stuff, even when I was alive. You're Goliath, right?"

Goliath, taken off guard by the abrupt change of topic, fixed the young man with narrowed eyes.

"Oh! Crud! Completely forgot to introduce myself. It's Kramer. Chaz Kramer. I'm your platoon leader."

Goliath's eyes grew wide, full of disbelief. He was supposed to answer to this hatchling!

_It's a jest, right?_ _Wait. Since the dead don't grow older, he could have been dead longer than I've been alive. _

Kramer raised both his hands in defence "I know, I look too young to be leading a platoon of Guardians, I get that a lot from newbies, and those who don't know better or don't give a crap. But I've been formed and trained by the best of the best! See that guy over there, at the bar, with the drunk ghost of that Irish priest?"

Goliath did his best to see whom Kramer was referring to. Irish priest… okay, spotted. Now…

He saw someone.

"The barman? Err Barmaid?"

"Naaah! That's Gabe. Gabriel. Former Archangel, before she tried to bring forth Mammon, screwed up and lost her wings. She was a bum, begging right outside the club. Papa Midnite took pity on her sorry ass and offered her a place to stay, in exchange, she works here as barmaid for minimal wages."

Goliath looked at his new leader, baffled. "Long Story, I'll tell you, some time. Anyway, I wasn't talking about her, but the other guy, completely sloshed, with the three zombie like ghosts on his left."

Goliath took a better look, spotted the three ghost, and there, leaning against the bar, a bottle of JD in the hand, clad in a beige Burbury coat, with a fuzzy mess of dusty blond hair, he spotted the man Kramer was referring to.

_This…hulk of a man is Kramer's mentor? Some references!_

"That, Goliath, my garg, is the one and only John Constantine. He's just getting through a rough period. He recently lost his sister, and my cousin, his best mate, won't even give him the time of the day. He's finishing his 'Torch the Past!' party. Now, come, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team. We're quite a weird patchwork, ya know? And our job, well, it ain't normal, everyday Guardian."

Kramer led Goliath to a door the former leader of Clan Wyvern hasn't even noticed. It opened to another door, and that one, to a smaller room, filled with cigarette and Havana cigar smoke.

_There's smoking in the Afterlife? Well I suppose it's no longer a habit that can kill you,_ he thought wryly.

"You see, our jobs is like Mission Impossible and Dead Like Me. Now, come over, Peanuts."

The reached a round table where three people were sitting- two women, and a man. The man, he recognized instantly, although he could put a name on his face.

"See, Goliath, when I said our job was close to Dead Like Me, I was right! We've even got our own Daisy Adair!" Kramer laughed, motioning toward a gorgeous petite woman, with bobbed fiery red hair. Her brown eyes were stormy. The blonde haired man next to her tried to hide a grin in his goatee and behind his hand

"Vas te faire mettre, p'tit branleur!" the redhead said in French with a honnest-to-God Québec accent, giving Kramer the finger. "I don't even look like Laura Harris, not even when I died my hair blonde for that mission!" she sassed, sipping her Absinth, after stirring it with a gold spoon.

She turned toward Goliath: "I'm Bette Sans Soucis, though you might have heard of me as Plastique. This _blonde_ grinning doofus next to me is Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow."

"Ollie, please," he said, getting up to give him a handshake.

"I'm Goliath. Please to meet you both."

Goliath studied this Ollie Queen as they shook hands. There was something familiar about him, now that he was seeing him without his mask. His eyes… Off course!

_He's Dinah's father! _ Goliath realized, and remembered something Oracle…Barbara said, shortly before his timely death.

"Dinah got her good looks and meta-gene from Carolyn, and her attitude and sense of humour from her father" That had made Alfred and Helena chuckle, and caused Goliath and Jessie Reese to exchange a perplexed look.

Though Barbara hadn't named Queen by name, it was now plain for Goliath to see how right the crippled genius was.

"And I'm Darla Aquista" The second woman said. She was late teens, or early twenties "I've heard a lot about you, sir. I wanted to attend your funeral but my team had an emergency."

"It's quite alright, Darla" Goliath said with a smile. "I appreciate the thought. What is your team? You're not in our group?"

"Nope. I'm alive. Cursed, but alive. My team is the Shadowpact. My ex-boyfriend, after saving my unconscious ass from these OMAC freaks, thought they could help me find some redemption. He was right- even after I tried to kill him and he lied to me. Our teams often work together and exchange intel."

"Working with your ex-boyfriend?" Goliath asked, puzzled, trying to picture himself working with Demona…and surprisingly, found the idea pleasant.

"No…well, yes. Sometimes," she settle on. "But he's with the DEO, and we try to steer clear from governmental agencies. No, I was referring to your team We've even worked with gargoyles before." Darla tried to reach for Goliath's ear, and he gently leaned over. "Eve -- Nightshade, one of my team mates, even has a crush on a gargoyle from London, much to Gryff's chagrin, I think!"

Goliath gave her a good-natured chuckles.

"Well, people, I've gotta grind, or Billy is gonna have a fit." Darla sighed, after she finished her Dacquari and picked up her leather jacket.

"Billy?" Goliath mouthed. It was Ollie who answered his silent question.

"Bill Barton. He used to be Captain Marvel a few years ago, before the Spectre killed Shazam, and deprived Bill of his powers."

"Oh," Goliath said simply, starting to feel a little lost.

"The Doom Patrol had Dr Caulder, we got Billy." Darla chuckled, as she pecked Ollie's cheek and hugged Bette, and, at last ruffled Chaz's hair, much to his dismay, and Bette's amusement.

She paused a second, then jumped and gave Goliath a hug, and a peck as well. Her cheek and lips were cold as ice.

"Don't worry, you'll catch on soon enough," she grinned at him before vanishing.

The four of them chatted for a few minutes, getting to know each other. Goliath got wind that he was replacing another young woman. "I didn't mean to steal her place." He apologized.

"You didn't know, _mon__ grand_. And she broke a cardinal law, that got her 'parole' revoked, and her removed from the rooster." Bette soothed him.

"Bette's right. Stephanie knew the risk she was taking." Ollie said.

"I remember, before her last mission, she hugged all of us, as if she knew she wasn't going to see us again."

"She'll be back!" Bette retorted venomously. "She did what she did for good reasons!"

"Hell's filled with those, sweetheart." Ollie remarked, resting a hand on Bette's shoulder. She leaned back, resting her head on his broad chest

"And it was doing something like that that got Stephanie killed in the first place. She had told us so the first day she came." Bette concluded. "You're right. But still, it hurt. She's a good kid. It's not fair they put so many deaths on her file. She called herself Spoiler, but in the end, she was the one who got spoiled, ante-mortem, and post-mortem.

The next few minutes were spent in silence, until someone walked close to their table

"Hey, people, your funerals are long past, so no more mopping, okay?" a vivacious voice kicked their lot out of brooding.

Goliath turned and fought the reflex to jump. There, standing in front of him, was standing a skeleton…dressed in red spandex, with a Dracula-ish collar.

_He better watch his bones if he goes near Castle Wyvern, when Bronx is there_ This was followed a mental image of this guy trying take his femur back from Bronx's jaw. The image was apparently picked up by Bette, who started laughing till tears welled in her eyes. Ollie himself snickered

"ANNNYWAAAY." 'Bone-guy' sighed dramatically, starting to understand why Sue had such a predatory grin when she told him his new charge needed a crash course in what Rowlings called Occlumens in her Potter books. "I'm Boston Brand, Ikea…err, AKA Deadman. I'll be your…" he gestured discretely, and Goliath felt three long lock of his sable hair knit together in a small but long braid, going from behind his right ear to the top of his pectoral muscle. "Mentor, and you will be my padawan. I will be understanding, but also very, very demanding. "

If Brand had visible cheeks, Goliath waged he would be grinning. Though slightly annoying, his new mentor was nowhere as bad as Puck or Anansi. It didn't miss, Ollie took a deep voice, while dodging a swat from a giggling Bette.

"Goliath –kshhhh- I'm you're –ksshhhh- best friend's neighbour's third cousin by his mother's father."

The long tirade came completely unexpected that they all looked at Ollie then the little group burst in a peel of laughter.

"That was SO totally ripped off from Spaceballs, Ollie!" Bette wheezed, wiping tears from her eyes. Goliath grinned, but tough, in all seriousness he thought:_This group is closely nit together, they may laugh at the silliest thing, but I feel that when it counts they know their job, and they watch each other's back_.

Brand, after a couple minutes, gathered himself together, and stepped aside. Chaz spoke then, all pretences of childishness and careless gone.

He reminded Goliath of himself, younger, when he was being trained to be a second-in-command. Hudson had put him in charge of a hunting pack that comprised of Demona, Desdemona, Othello, Iago and the gargoyle that later spawned Ophelia, with a large forehead crest. Thinking about it, that was there and then, during that hunting party that Iago became jealous of both Othello and Goliath.

Chaz' words brought him back to the matter at hand, a millennium and a trespassing later.

"Now here's the stitch, guys. It's confirmed we are getting another new recruit and it's one with a rap sheet. I don't know who it is yet. That's also why Sue came here along with Goliath. All I know is that he'll join us roughly in two months. Till then, there won't be any new missions, just a training session, so that Peanuts here can be brought up to speed. You all should have some linking built up with him by the time the other newbie arrives. Second…"

_They're more than this ragtag of deceased heroes and redeeming villains, than just a team. They are a clan in __its own__ right. A clan that I hope I can find a place in._

_I have a new mentor, as well._

_This is just another beginning._

_Another journey…_

**January 13**

**Destine Manor**

She woke, much in the same fashion that she had been over the last two weeks. Sweating, twisted in her sheets, a scream dying on her lips as a sob chocked up her breath. Oh. Add pain to that list.

"Damn you," she whispered in a shaky voice as her fist tightened in the bed sheets and tears streamed down her cheeks. So lost in her nightmares and memories, the Detective was oblivious to the rapidly darkening room until an ear-piercing scream ripped through the mansion.

Elisa bolted upright, her heart racing even more than it already was, as adrenaline began to flow through her body. The pain was immediately reduced to nothing as she untangled herself from the sheets and limped hurriedly towards the sounds of the tortured screams. She knew they were Demona's, but what could cause such a pain-filled howl? Had someone broken into the mansion and was now attacking her?

As she silently pushed open the door to the immortal's bedroom, and carefully peered inside, Elisa was greeted by a sight that took her breath away. Demona hadn't been kidding when she had hinted at the fact that her transformations were painful. From where Elisa stood frozen, it was horrible and fascinating all at the same time. The redhead was writhing on the ground, her skin already is normal azure hue, and her bones almost completely reformed. Yet Elisa had managed to catch the final part of her transformation where her tail was formed with a bone crunching noise, and her back ripped open to give birth to her wings with noise that turned even Elisa's stomach.

Demona lay panting on the ground, trembling and moaning softly before she realized that she had an audience. Closing her eyes, she braced herself and rolled to her feet. Elisa stood amazed, as she watched the immortal shake off the effects of what had to be an excrutiating experience after a few more seconds.

"Jesus, you go through that every day?" she breathed.

"Twice," Demona confirmed tersely. Then her demeanor calmed some. "I'm sorry I woke you, but I had dozed off and didn't have a chance to make it down into my workroom before the transformation hit."

With the adrenaline fading, Elisa was quickly becoming aware of her own pain, and sagged against the doorframe. "It's your house Demona. Besides, I was already awake," she said, her voice growing rough with the reminder of the nightmare.

"I think I heard you scream just before. I would ask if you're alright, but you're standing here so I guess it would be redundant."

"Just a nightmare…nothing new," Elisa answered flatly.

"About that night?"

"Yeah…can we not talk about this now? I just want to go home."

"As you wish," Demona answered, feeling a little out of sorts herself. She too, had woken from her nap with images of that night still burning in her mind when her transformation had hit. The combination of the two, were wearing on her newly formed patience. She realized that they both should talk about this, but they were still too stubborn to want to delve into the depths of their churning and volatile emotions right now.

They were still too deep into their anger and guilt. Any forced conversations at this point would probably result in one or both of them lashing out at the other, potentially destroying the shaky trust and friendship they were beginning to build. No, it was best that she take Elisa home and leave her be for now.

Elisa returned to her room where she pulled on her shoes and heavy coat. She balked slightly when the immortal made it clear she would carry Elisa back to her apartment, but Demona made it clear that it was the quickest and easiest way and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. It had been one of the most unsettling flights ever for Elisa, and yet, ironically, she never felt unsafe in her former enemy's hold.

**Wayne Manor**

**New Gotham**

"So?" Dinah asked, practically bouncing on the bed where she sat as Helena tossed her jacket to the side and flung herself down face first onto the bed.

"Where's Jesse?" she mumbled into the sheets.

"Doing cop stuff with Dick, said they wouldn't be back until late. So you've been gone for like, eleven hours. How was it?"

"Aren't you like recovering or something? How can you be so damn cheery?" Helena whined.

Dinah sighed. "Hel I've been cooped up in this house for two weeks being coddled! Once I was up and around the other night I started to feel a lot better. My headache's are barely there now, but no one will let me do anything," the teen complained. "I was so bored today that I actually begged Alfred to let me help him with some chores!"

"Wow, that's pretty desperate," Helena said, unable to help the giggle.

"It's beyond desperate it's pathetic. Now you've been gone all day turning the corporate world upside down, so the least you could do is tell me how everything went."

"It wasn't all that glamorous kid," Helena sighed. Then she grinned a bit. "But I did ruffle more than a few feathers today. Man you should have seen the look on everyone's faces when they found out that I was his daughter…and by Selina Kyle no less. I mean sure with my mom's death, everyone knew that my mom had had a kid, and more than a few of them were aware of the fact that Barbara had been my mentor. But they were all dumbfounded that no one ever put two and two together."

"So what did you guys do today?" Dinah grinned, as she dug for more details.

"One endless boring boardroom meeting after another. Basically, I was introduced to everyone, and then my dad and I were brought up to speed on what's been going on. Dad didn't seem too surprised by anything, though he seemed little unhappy with certain departments about some of the paths they've been taking over the years. My grandfather was a doctor and his father before him and his father before him. Dad said Wayne Foundation was built on helping people, not finding more ways to kill each other. Guess R&D was getting a little too carried away in bidding for government contracts and weapons development."

"Did you get to fire anyone today?"

Helena grinned again. "Nah. Just do what I do best. Threaten."

Dinah was bouncing again. "Spill." She demanded.

"So like there was this young guy who took over R&D awhile ago. Strikes me as a sneaky bastard, and someone who stepped on more than a few people to get where he's at. He all but got in my dad's face and told him he hadn't been around for ten years so what right did he have to say what direction the company went as long as it moved forward."

"He didn't" Dinah gasped.

Helena chuckled low. "Oh he did. But he was good….real smooth. He didn't just come right out and say it mind you. But everyone in that room knew exactly what he was implying when he made his little self-defense speech."

"So what did your dad do?"

"Gave him the glare- which he's been practicing, cause eve I wanted to squirm- and then I stood up." Helena paused, smirking at the memory.

"Hel," Dinah whined.

"It was so dramatic D. When you're feeling better, remind me to share the memory with you cause it was so cool. Ok, so the room had gone totally silent after his little speech. My dad was glaring and then I stood…slowly. I am so glad I wore that jacket, 'cause you know how leather creaks, and it just drew everyone's attention. So here I am, trying to mirror my dad's glare, fifty eyes on me, and for a moment I nearly froze," she admitted. "I mean who am I right? But then I caught it- his fear. He was putting on a good show, but D I swear he was ready to piss himself. And suddenly it was like me being Huntress and he was my prey. I may not know boardrooms and all that yet, but this I knew."

"So what'd you do?" Dinah grinned, knowing just how much Huntress liked to play with her prey.

"I asked him who's name was on the building. After he finally stuttered out Wayne, I simply told him that when he had a building with his own name on it, then he could call whatever stupid shots he wanted. It didn't matter if my father was around or not, he wasn't the one in charge and if the man in charge said jump, his only response should be how high. Then I let them all know where I stood on things since I hadn't really said much before that."

"Yeah?"

Helena shrugged. "I told them that while my mother didn't always see eye to eye with my father, when it came down to business, they both shared many of the same principles. If there was one thing that my mom did share with me about my mystery father, it was that he was a good man, and used his means to help other people in any way possible. I guess it's kind of a tradition for the Wayne's, and I'm not about to change any of that."

"Wow. So then what happened?"

"I sat back down, eyed him the rest of the meeting while he squirmed, and then smiled sweetly as he practically high-tailed it out of there as soon as that meeting was done. I think I was a few people's hero," she added smugly.

"So did you meet anyone else famous?"

"Not today. But dad has like, this knack for having cool old guys around. The guy that was running the show for him while he was gone, his name is Lucius Fox, and get this he knows!"

Dinah frowned. "Knows? Knows what?"

"About dad…about him being Batman and everything. He even knew about my mom!"

"He did?" Dinah asked in shock. "But, like, I thought your dad never told anyone. The whole secret identity thing and all."

"Well, you know I had to corner him on that after Fox inadvertently spilled the beans. I guess Fox found out about him back in the day when dad was just cutting his teeth as Batman. And then he admitted that it had been helpful to have a few people on the outside in case of an emergency. Like Leslie and of course Alfred. Of course that was all followed with the 'you need to pick your confidants wisely' talk," she added as she rolled her eyes.

"Like you couldn't have seen that coming from a mile away," Dinah agreed knowingly. They'd both gotten that talk from Barbara on dozens of occasions- especially after Wade's death last year. "So all in all?"

"Well it was pretty dull today. It was kinda cool to see my dad in this element though. It's like were in some play and we're the actors. I guess it wasn't too bad though. I mean I did get to meet some interesting people, but my head is ready to explode right now," she groaned. "However tomorrow, I get the tour and that should be tons more fun," she said perking up a bit. "I can't wait to go by R&D tomorrow," she added with a wicked grin.

Dinah laughed. "That man doesn't even know what he's in for now that he messed with someone in your family." Helena arched an eyebrow. "You are so over-protective."

"Am not."

"Are too.

"Am not."

"Hel if there's an open package of pop tarts on the counter and I come into the room, you rush over and guard them like I was about to eat one of your children or something," Dinah giggled. "And if some punk got a shot in on me when we were on sweeps, you'd go postal and beat the scumbag to an inch of his life. You are so territorial."

"So, I've got issues about losing things I really like," Helena remarked flippantly. "But at least I'm not the one begging to do chores," she threw back at the blonde, grinning

"I'm going to regret telling you that aren't I," Dinah asked with a dramatic sigh.

"Every time I hear Barbara gripe about the house being a mess, I'll just remind her that you've been schooled in the finer arts of housekeeping by the master himself. Now, why don't you do something useful like go cook me a five course dinner?"

"Would you like that scorched or merely singed Miss Helena?" Dinah asked with a completely straight face in a surprisingly good imitation of Alfred.

Helena burst out laughing, the tension from the day leaving her completely. She lay on the bed, laughing with Dinah for several more moments before wiping her eyes and looking over at the teen. "Hey D?" she asked holding her hand out.

"Yeah?" Dinah said as she threaded her hand in Helena's.

"It's good to be back."

The brunette couldn't help but mirror the younger woman's brilliant smile. "I'm glad we're all back Hel."

Elsewhere in the Manor… 

"So?"

Bruce Wayne looked up and gave Barbara what she could only describe as a proud smile. "She knocked 'em dead on her first day." The smile grew a little wistful. "Just like her mother," he added fondly.

Barbara moved closer. "And her father, from Alfred and daddy have told me," she reminded. "So everything went well then?"

He chuckled. "Extremely. I have to admit I was a bit nervous the whole day. Helena is very much like her mother and I was…concerned as to what mischief she might try to stir up if she got too bored."

Barbara laughed knowingly. "I took her to one Gordon family gathering, and vowed never to make that mistake again. God, between her and daddy, I'm surprised I wasn't banned permanently from all family functions thereafter. I swear the two of them feed off each other, which makes their relationship all the more ironic," she muttered.

"So, she didn't make waves then?"

Bruce leaned back. "She was surprisingly mature and adult the whole time. Well, most of the time. I caught her and Lucius trading some eye rolling a couple of times when a few of the meetings began to drag out. I think she likes him," he informed Barbara with a pleased smile.

"I figured she would. Have you told her about how much he's in the loop?"

"Lucius pulled me aside to read me the riot act, but not far enough that Helena couldn't pick up what he said. She knows now. Oh, and you should have seen her when some cocky young pup tried to question my authority in front of the other department heads."

Barbara grinned. "Oh dear."

Bruce leaned back, his lips quirked in a familiar smirk. "That girl can glare almost as good as I can. Then she went practically went feral on him."

"There wasn't any bloodshed I hope," Barbara winced.

Bruce waved a reassuring hand. "She can use her words almost as good as she can use her fists. Gave quite the impressive little speech, which was superbly timed given she hadn't said much most of the day. I seriously doubt anyone will be questioning either of us any time in the near future. I could tell she was a little overwhelmed by it all by the end of the day though," he said sympathetically.

Barbara grinned. "I bet she had more than a few of her preconceived ideas about the life of a socialite drastically altered today."

"Given how quiet she was on the way home and how quickly she escaped to her room, I would have to agree," he chuckled. "So how are you feeling? You look better today."

Barbara gave him a single shouldered shrug. "I slept in late, had a delicious breakfast in bed from Alfred and was pampered all day by either him, Dinah, or daddy. I think I could get used to this. Now if only I can train Dick to feed me grapes…."

Bruce tipped his head back and laughed. It was one of the first genuine laughs he'd had in over a decade. The startling reality of that cut his laugh short and his eyes widened.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Barbara asked quietly.

In all honesty, it did. Over the past week, after finally beginning to smooth things over with Helena and the rest, he had felt this steel band begin to loosen around his chest. The laugh had seemed to finally break it. All tension had drained from his body, and for the first time in years, he finally felt a sense of peace wash over him. "It's been so long since I've had anything that I could laugh about," he whispered.

"It's been awhile for all of us," Barbara admitted sadly. "Thank you for coming back Bruce…and for staying."

"Dinner is served Master Bruce," Alfred called out from the doorway.

The moment between them passed, and Barbara grinned once more. "I had better go let Helena know. I saw Dinah attack her on my way past her room. You know how teens are…wanting to know every little detail. Besides, with her appetite, I'm sure Helena is ready to eat a horse by now."

"Meta-metabolism," Bruce said thoughtfully. "Wonder if there's some way to bottle that. We could make a fortune."

Barbara's own hearty laugh followed her out of the room as she went to find her former and current wards.

January 20 

**Aerie Building**

**Manhattan**

They heard the voice before they saw it's owner, and Bruce drew up short as he looked at his daughter and then to his host. "I thought you said we were having a meeting with Ms. Destine," he said even as the voice thanked someone for a cup of coffee.

"We are," Xanatos grinned.

Helena's eyes widened. "You didn't know?" Then she smacked herself on the forehead. "Of course you didn't know. Elisa told us while she was staying with us, but I thought you already knew and had never brought it up."

Bruce shook his head confused, but as the door opened, a redheaded businesswoman rose to her feet and greeted him. "Good Morning Mr. Wayne. It's a pleasure to meet you finally," she purred.

His eyes widened in recognition as he took her hand. "At least in this form," he stated, trying to keep any irritation out of his voice as he caught everyone else – his own daughter included- smirking.

Then he looked at his daughter, who held her hands up in innocence. "I swear I thought you knew," she said honestly. "I figured that was why you kept telling me to be careful around her and stuff."

"Sage advice," the immortal chuckled.

"How is it you are human right now?"

"A long story that I'm sure Helena can fill you in on some time. Sufficed to say, I am human by day and gargoyle by night. There are very few humans that know of this fact however, and I would appreciate it, if that didn't change." There was an almost dangerous undercurrent of warning and malice in her tone that let everyone know she would do what it would take to protect her dual identity.

"As you wish Ms. Destine."

"Well shall we get started?" Xanatos asked as he gestured them all towards several couches and chairs arranged around a coffee table filled with delicious looking pastries.

"I thought your wife would be joining us," Helena remarked as she settled herself onto the plush couch.

"She'll be down in a moment. There was a small emergency with our son."

"Is everything ok?" Helena asked worried. She was kind of fond of the kid.

Xanatos laughed. "Oh, he's fine. It's just that when he decides to be stubborn, his fits aren't like other children. Fox is sometimes the only one who can handle him when he gets like that."

"Most of the time," Fox said in a frustrated voice as she came in with Alex in her arms. "But I think the only thing that's going to save him from a month of grounding is if he can say hi to the 'cat-lady' as he likes to call you."

Helena chuckled, taking pity on the distressed looking mother and held her arms out to the troublesome toddler. The child giggled happily and scrambled out of his mother's arms and onto Helena's lap.

"Hey munchkin," Helena greeted as she ruffled his red hair. Her eyes caught his, and she narrowed them slightly.

_You reading me kid?_

He grinned. _Uh huh._

_Good. So how's it going?_

_Ok. Everyone's still sad about 'Liath, and 'Lisa hasn't come by since she left. Everyone is worried. They try to pretend that they're not but they are. Even 'Mona is worried._

_Well she's been through a lot kiddo. But you can help by listening to your parents and not causing them too much trouble though ok?_

He caught her drift and nodded_. Ok._

_I'm glad I got to see you though. Maybe later, if this doesn't take all day, you could show me some other cool tricks you can do ok?_

He perked up at that. _I'd like that!_

_Good. Now be a good boy and go with Owen so we can get all this boring grownup stuff out of the way._

_Ok_ he said as he scrambled out of her lap and obediently went over to Owen's side, who was waiting patiently to take Alex back up to the castle.

The child waved goodbye, and Helena went back to nibbling on a pastry. "You certainly have a way with children Ms. Kyle-Wayne," Dominique remarked.

"I'll say," Fox remarked a little surprised herself. "There are very few people that can bond with him on that level."

Helena shrugged. "I guess it comes from having similar genes. Besides, living with Dinah has probably rubbed off on me. I've gotten used to projecting what I'm thinking, if I'm trying to get her attention. And Kyle-Wayne is a mouthful, so all of you here can call me Helena," she added with a grin.

"Well now that we are all here shall we get started?" Xanatos asked, and everyone nodded.

"Bruce, I have already spoken with Ms. Destine-," the businesswoman cleared her throat loudly.

"I think we can dispense with the formalities David."

"Dominique and I," he continued with a chuckle, "have had a couple of meetings over the last couple of weeks to draw up the plans of a business venture that we'd like to propose to you."

"So I take it you're not in the market to take over my company any more?" Bruce asked Dominique pointedly.

"Not with a Wayne back at the helm. Your company was beginning to flounder when some of you're executives decided to play in fields they weren't experienced in. A company with your reputation didn't deserve to be bought out by some low-level fledgling corporation. It would have been a complete waste of talent and resources."

"So what kind of deal are you bringing to the table David?"

"Well as I mentioned before, our four companies have made considerable progress over the last decade in the various field of science. If we could combine our forces in a joint effort, I believe we could not only corner the market, but perhaps reshape the entire medical field."

"You don't think that's a little overly dramatic?" Helena asked interested.

"While I would be the first person to be skeptical about such grand statements, I am inclined to agree with David and Fox. Each of our companies specializes in one particular field or another. Together, the possibilities are quite amazing."

"So how do you propose we go about this?"

David slid a small report across the coffee table tot each of them. "Here's a brief outline of what we've come up with so far."

They picked up the report and began flipping through it. "We set up a corporation, in which the five of us will each retain equal control of. No major decisions will ever be made without the consent of the others, and majority vote wins. None of us will run this company directly however, we will choose someone that we all trust to be CEO of the company, and then we will have one member from each of our companies as that individual's VP's."

"Do you have anyone in particular already in mind?"

"One of my assistant VP's has been showing some very promising traits. She's really been making a name for herself wherever she's worked and I have come to trust her a great deal over the past few years."

Fox chuckled. "And coming from Demona, that's very high praise. Actually David and I both know her, and we are inclined to strongly recommend her as well."

"For several reasons actually," David added. "She's very devoted to her work, and has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. She's got excellent business ethics, a keen eye for turning profit, and killer sense of judgment."

"Do I know her?"

"Her name is Silver St Cloud."

"St Cloud….I've heard that name before. And if memory serves me right, it was in a most positive manner. I would be interested in meeting her sometime in the near future."

"Perhaps later this afternoon, of your schedule permits, you can stop by Nightstone for a brief tour and introduction. It will of course have to be early afternoon, as I can't work past 4:30."

Everyone chuckled. "What made you pick New Gotham as a favorable site for setting up the offices?" Helena asked as she looked up from the paperwork.

"A few reasons actually. The first being cost, of course. Real-estate is considerable much less in New Gotham."

"Yeah, I wonder why," Helena muttered. "Gotham's never been the same after the quake."

"Never-the-less, the are still many promising things about the city, and the quieter upscale suburbs are just outside town. If we can bring in more higher class citizens, the city will upscale as well over time," David reasoned.

"So what else made you choose?"

"I live with Fox, and have almost daily contact in person with Dominique. It seemed reasonable that by having the company in New Gotham, it would make it easier for you to keep tabs of what is going on since the three of us are already in close contact with one another. Besides, we all felt it would look better to the public if Bruce Wayne were keeping a close eye on this rather than one of us three. Decade-long sabbatical aside- the public admires and respects you a great deal more than they do us."

"What, you worried your rap sheet might attract too much unwanted legal attention?" Helena snickered.

David scowled slightly, but Fox and Dominique both chuckled at her audacity. "Dominique doesn't have a rap sheet-,"

"Yeah, but she's also known as a cutthroat and devious businesswoman. I bet you get audited and inspected all the time don't you?"

Dominique sighed. "Sadly, I do. I'm starting to run out of places to stash the bodies."

The immortal had to struggle to suppress the smirk that was lifting her lips. "What?" she asked innocently as she watched all of them shift a bit uneasily. "Not funny?"

"Not from you," Bruce answered flatly.

"Soooooo anyway," Helena cut in. "It says here you guys would like to start by each company bringing one design to the table. Something that hasn't been patented yet, and that we are willing to develop with each other as equal partners. So do we each think of something separate? Or come up with a common cause and each dig into our vaults to see what we could come up with the reach that goal."

Everyone looked at her impressed. "What?"

"Well, actually we hadn't thought about it in that light," Fox said and she looked at her husband and then Dominique. "But really, that would be the most logical approach to this. Granted we wouldn't want to put all our eggs in one basket, so our first objectives would be things we know for sure that we could accomplish."

"How about improve upon?" Helena suggested. Now even her father was looking at her interested. Damn, she was getting pretty good at this. Young minds, fresh minds and all that.

"Such as?"

"Well, you guys have already tinkered with altering someone's DNA- enough so that they take on completely different characteristics. You also did very well in cloning, even if it was a rough go at the beginning. Now I know that's a sore spot, but it could also be a good thing in the long run. You've come a long way in cybernetics and cybergenics, while my father's company has been recently working on several new drugs to produce cell and nerve regeneration. What if we combined all of our technology and science to tackle the various issues in spinal cord injuries and degeneration?"

David smirked. "Now how did I know that would be one of the first things you'd like to address?"

Helena shrugged, though her eyes gave away the gravity of the matter to her. "Everyone knows I have a personal interest in this area. The sooner we could do something about it, the happier I'll be knowing that Barbara won't be risking her life again by experimenting further with that damn coupler."

"Finding the lowest cost means to allow someone to walk again. That seems like a suitable, and achievable goal," Dominique agreed.

"So, given everyone's interest in the matter, I take it the proposition seems agreeable to everyone?"

"I'd like to look over some of the other details a little further, but from what I've seen and heard, I think you can count us onboard," Bruce answered after he looked over at Helena who nodded her consent.

"Excellent!" David grinned. Fox stood and walked over to the bar where she pulled out a chilling bottle of champagne from the small refrigerator there.

"A toast to new friends and partners then?"

"Hell yeah!" Helena grinned. She looked over at her father. "I wish every meeting could be this casual and cool."

"Enjoy it while it lasts Hel."

**Later that day……**

Elisa opened her door and blinked in surprise. "Helena? God do they have you on their little list now too?" she groaned.

"Excuse me?"

Elisa opened her door further to allow the brunette in, and walked back towards her couch. "I get at least two visitors every day. It doesn't take my detective status to know everyone is checking up on me, and I wouldn't have put it past any of them to have signed up on some list I know my mom put together."

"Oh, well I can honestly say that I have no such knowledge of suspected list and my visit to you was actually unplanned."

"Is everything ok?" Elisa asked, sensing that Helena was telling the truth.

"Yeah, everything's good. Dad and I were out here for a meeting with Destine and Xanatos. I skipped out on a tour over at Nightstone to come by and say hi. So this is your crib huh? Way better than mine," Helena said with an approving nod.

"How can a cop's apartment compare with a billionaire's mansion?" Elisa asked in disbelief as she began to relax.

"I was talking about my own apartment. As much as the pampered life is nice, I'm feeling a little… constricted living under the same roof as everyone else. Oh, and I'm not a billionaire yet, just the rich brat of Bruce Wayne with a padded trust fund. But I'm trying my best to work my way out of that category."

Elisa chuckled. "I've had nothing to do but watch tv all day for the last week, so I've been following the news on you guys. I think you're going to be out of that category in no time at all. So you and your dad mended the fence?"

Helena gave her an almost shy smile. "Yeah. I mean I did it in typical Helena fashion, but once I got to have my say on things, we sat down and actually had some long talks…and well, things are good with us now. I mean we still have our moments, but it's like we get each other even. Which I really weird sometimes because I've only really known him for like a month."

Elisa shrugged. "He's your father. I've seen a lot of similarities in the two of you just from what I've seen on the news. How's Dinah?"

Helena rolled her eyes. "Making up for lost time. So I know she missed out on like a year of being the annoying little sister, but does she have to bring it on full force all at once?" Elisa laughed. "She's back to her normal self for the most part. I guess she has headaches every now and then, and she's admitted to feeling a little more drained than usual, but Barbara let her return to school this week. Thank God," the brunette said dramatically.

"Now she can focus on making up schoolwork, instead of bugging me every day about how my day at the office went."

"What about everyone else?"

"Reese weathered the oh so minor inquisition he had about why Quinn showed up at our place and she ended up dead. Then they promoted him, and he's been working his butt off ever since," she sighed, slightly disappointed. It was true that ever since his promotion, he hadn't had much free time as of late, and with their conflicting schedules, they hadn't seen each other hardly at all over the last couple of weeks.

"Once he gets settled in, I'm sure things will smooth out quickly enough. My first couple of months as Detective were hell, but then everything began to click and I started having free time again," Elisa assured her.

"Yeah, well Dick's transferred down to NGPD now and they're working together on the same team now, so at least Babs and I know that they'll watch each other's backs out there."

"Dick's in New Gotham?"

Helena grinned happily. "Yeah, he proposed to Barbara and she said yes. Don't know when they'll actually tie the knot yet, knowing Barbara it'll be awhile."

Elisa forced herself to smile. She was truly happy for Barbara and Dick, but the reminder stabbed her deep in her own heart. "How's her recovery going?"

"Her arm is healing nicely. We all keep yelling at her not to overdue it though. Bruises have almost completely faded, so she's thinking about returning to school herself in another week. By then she should be able to transfer herself out of her chair once or twice during the day if need be."

Elisa nodded. "I'm glad everyone's doing good."

"So what about you? You look like you're moving around a lot better."

"Yeah, Demona tried out some magic mud on me or something. Helped speed heal some of the worst injuries. Except my eye," she added bitterly. "Same old other than that. I've been resting like a good girl…not that I couldn't try and do much else with the parade of people that keep tabs on me every day."

"Hey don't knock it too much Elisa. It just means they care enough to drag their butts over here and face your oh so charming demeanor," Helena told her with a smirk.

"My demeanor would probably improve greatly if I could be left alone for at least one day."

"I'll see what I can do to drop a hint to the conspirators. So when do you think you'll be back to work?"

"Not until I re-pass a slew of tests. I even lost my driver's license," Elisa grumbled. "I'm hoping to start hitting the Range at the Academy later this week though. One step at a time you know?"

Helena chuckled. "Yeah I do. Well look I gotta head back pretty soon, Barbara and I are gonna take the kid out tonight for a little heart to heart on the changes in our little family. I think she's been so clingy lately because she's feeling a little out of place. It was good to see you."

"Yeah…thanks for dropping by. You're probably the first person who's come over that I haven't wanted to boot off my balcony."

"Wow, I got a laugh and a compliment out of you. Will wonders never cease," Helena teased as she stood. "And now before I wear out that welcome I shall make a hasty exit. Take care of yourself Elisa. I'm looking forward to hanging out with you the next time I'm down here."

"Say hi to everyone up there for me, and kick a few asses for me ok?"

Helena chuckled. "I'd be happy to."

**Later That Evening…**

**New Gotham**

"So Dinah have you thought about any of the scholarships you've gotten the last few months?"

Helena gave Barbara a look, and the redhead realized the mistake in her question, when she saw the blonde duck her head and play with her food. "Not yet, but don't worry I'll make sure to choose something soon."

Barbara wanted to bang her head on the table. "Sweetie…I'm sorry," Barbara sighed. "That's not what I meant."

Helena was shaking her head now. "Smooth Red…real smooth. I think that opening question just totally went against the plan."

"Plan?" Dinah asked, a worried look crossing her face. "What plan?"

"The 'let's just the three of us go to dinner and reassure Dinah she's still very much a part of our family' plan," Helena answered.

"Huh?"

"Dinah," Barbara began as she set her fork down. "Things have changed pretty dramatically for all of us these last few weeks. But Hel and I don't want you to feel like you aren't a part of our family, just because we have a few new people in our lives."

Dinah looked back at her plate. "It's okay Barbara. I'm cool with that and I'm happy for you guys. I mean I'm seventeen and I'll be graduating this summer, so it's time I started…you know…be an adult and learn some independence."

"The hell with that!" Helena said adamantly.

"Hel," Barbara said calmly. "She's right though Dinah. My job being your Guardian doesn't end with you graduating or turning eighteen. I mean look at Helena. I'm still having to look after her all the time," Barbara said with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"As if," Helena muttered.

Dinah giggled though. "Dinah, just because Dick and I are engaged doesn't mean that we're going to run off and get married and leave you to fend for yourself. I love you Dinah, and I don't tell you that enough. I don't want you to feel like you have to go off on your own."

Tears started to shimmer in Dinah's eyes. "You really mean that?" she whispered.

"That I love you?" Barbara asked, her own eyes shining. "Yes sweetheart, I do."

A thought occurred to her. "What about Dick?"

Barbara shrugged. "What about Dick? He's well aware of the fact that I would be just as happy to have you stay with me for another few years like Helena, and he's got no problems with it."

"D, if you can worm your way into my heart, then no one else stands a chance. Trust me when I tell you Dick loves having you as part of the family."

"And that would be Helena's way of telling you she love's you too," Barbara chuckled, as she resumed eating.

"So I really don't have to leave?"

Both older women knew this hesitation stemmed from her abandonment issues she still dealt with. "No Dinah. You can stay for as long as you need."

"Oh….well…then I don't know if I want to go to college."

Barbara's fork dropped to her plate as she glared at Helena. "Hey don't look at me, I never said nothing."

"I don't mean never go to college…just not right away," Dinah amended before an argument ensued.

Barbara looked immensely relieved. "What did you have in mind then?"

"So, I know this sounds very clichéd and all…but I'd really like to travel. I mean, my biggest adventure was traveling to New Gotham by myself. My childhood was a scary thing, and I never got a chance to do a lot of the things other normal kids did because I spent most of it locked in a closet," she admitted quietly.

It was one of the rare times she'd actually spoken openly about her childhood, and both older woman listened intently as she revealed a few details even they didn't know about. "I….I know I'm almost an adult now, but once I go to college, that'll be it. I want to do those things that other kids did. I want to know what it was like to be a normal kid…or at least a kid that was loved by her parents. I guess it all sounds pretty selfish, but this will be my last chance to have some of those things."

Barbara released her breath carefully. The anger that had raged up inside her- and Helena judging from the way she was trying to hide her suddenly augmented eyes- at the things this beautiful young girl had stolen from her, had been nearly overwhelming. It only strengthened her convictions, that the little phone call she had made to the Opal social services had been justified.

"Dinah, that is not selfish by any means. In fact…it sounds like a good idea actually," she added with a grin. "Think you wouldn't mind some company every now and then?"

"Are you kidding? Do you know how long I've wanted to go to Disneyworld with you guys?"

"Ahhhh…some place warm and sunny. I could definitely go for that," Helena agreed happily.

"Tell you what. You write down all the places you want to see , things you'd like to do, and which places you'd like for us to go with you to. No limits."

"No limits?" Dinah asked in disbelief.

"Uh oh Red, you just handed her the keys to the kingdom there," Helena chuckled seeing the wheels turning in Dinah's head already.

Barbara just grinned. "It's been years since I went on vacation, and I've got someone else's millions to spend now anyway."

"Wait till I tell Dick you said that."

"In which case I'll just have to give him a little more loving to make up for it, which isn't a bad thing really…so please by all means, go ahead."

"Ewwwww…gross! Eating here," Dinah whined.

"That was just so wrong," Helena agreed, though she couldn't suppress her grin entirely.

"Well with that settle….are you leaning towards any colleges yet?"

"Well, to be honest, NGU has a great Psychology program…"


	37. Two Steps Back

**A/N: ** All righty then…for those of you who are reading this and think some of it looks familiar…I'm sorry. I was doped up on cold medication while I was cutting and pasting my story together for the last chapter and didn't catch it until a few hours later. So, here we are and hopefully I'm starting to tie everything up! (in it's proper order) Only 2 more chapters to go folks! Thanks for your feedback!

**February 1**

Manhattan 

"All shooters cease fire and return weapons to safe."

"Ummm, Detective Maza?"

Elisa glanced at the fresh-faced kid that was standing in the next booth over grinning shyly at her. She dropped the empty clip from her gun, slammed another home, set it down and turned to face the Academy trainee as she pulled her earplugs out.

"Yeah?" she prompted as she watched him try not to stare at the recovering injuries that peeked out from under the large black patch she had taken to wearing now.

"Uh, Dave Nickle. I just wanted to say that it is an honor to meet you ma'am," he stammered out as he moved around the partition so he could shake her hand.

She took it hesitantly. "So you really fought side by side with the gargoyles at the Dock Wars?"

Elisa sighed inwardly. "I fought with a lot of good people that night Mr. Nickle. And yes, a few of them did happen to be gargoyle."

"Wow. And the vigilantes in New Gotham? They say Batman showed up," he asked in youthful awe.

"I never really got to meet him in all the confusion, but yes I did come across a few….citizen crime fighters like Batman," she admitted.

"That is so cool," he all but whispered. "When I was a kid I used to follow all of that stuff about the superhero's and vigilantes. Then when I saw what you and Detective Reese accomplished during the Dock Wars….I knew this was the job for me. It made me realize you don't have to be Superman to make a difference."

This sentiment didn't surprise Elisa. Ever since she started hanging around the Firing Range at the Academy, she had been made well aware of the fact that recruit applications were up thanks to the huge publicity the department had received the last few weeks. She had moved beyond celebrity status to living legend, and it wasn't something she was comfortable with.

She forced a gentle smile. "Look…Dave, you obviously have a good heart, and your motivation is in the right place. But being a cop is rarely what they've been hyping it up to be these last few weeks. It a dirty, ruthless, and most of the time thankless job. We're overworked, not paid near enough for the risks we take on a daily basis, and most of the time the media is hanging us out to dry instead of praising us. In a few months all this will be forgotten and they'll be picking apart the next screw-up we make."

"I know what I'm getting into," he insisted.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-one last month ma'am," he told her reluctantly.

Elisa reached up and pulled her patch off. Several others were now listening in on the conversation, and she heard the sharp intakes of air as she revealed the healing injuries along the side of her face. "Take a good look Recruit. I signed on at your age and told my dad the exact same thing. I never imagined the hell I would see over the years out on the streets. None of us can even talk about what we went through when the Towers came down. But even that didn't prepare me for what I went through in the Dock Wars. I lost a part of me that night…something I will never get back," she told them, her voice starting to grow rough with emotion.

The room was deathly silent, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her partner had entered the room and was silently observing her little speech. "So as you continue through your training, ask yourselves this: Are you willing to lay everything on the line if it comes down to it one of these days? And I'm not just talking about your life because that's the easy part. I'm talking about friends, family, relationships, your health. At any given moment, one or more of those things could be jeopardized because of the oath you will take when you graduate. Think about that before you take that oath ladies and gentlemen," she told them quietly as she replaced her patch and turned away from the group.

The silence ensued for a few moments more before the Range Sergeant called for everyone to reload and aim. Elisa checked the safety on her weapon, realizing Dave hadn't moved back to his partition yet. "Yes Mr. Nickle?"

"I lost everything a long time ago too," he told her quietly. "You'll move past this. I know a lot of people see me as some kid who doesn't know what he's getting himself into. But I do, and it's worth the risk. Because if people like us don't take a stand for the people who can't defend themselves, then the bad guys win."

Elisa's head turned towards the side slightly, and the Recruit could just barely make out the faint smirk that was her trademark. "You're gonna make a good cop Nickle. Try not to get yourself killed anytime soon kid," she told him before she looked back at the target and aimed her weapon.

His thousand-watt smile said it all.

Four hours later…… 

"Hey partner, your aim is getting worse not better. Why don't you knock off for the day? I mean my arm is about to fall off and I'm not the one nursing injured ribs and stuff here."

Elisa glared at the target, and wanted nothing more than to take a flamethrower to it. She hadn't even come close to a kill shot in the last couple of hours. The few that had come within the kill range earlier had been mostly out of pure luck. Compensating for her damaged eyesight was proving far more difficult and frustrating that she had initially hoped. Of course with the way things had been going in her life for the last few years she shouldn't have expected anything less.

"Come on Elisa," Matt encouraged. "Give it a rest for the evening and let's go get something to eat."

Her shoulders slumping in defeat, Elisa shook her head as she began packing up her equipment. "I just want to go home Matt."

"You want a ride?"

Another reminder of her limitations. She would have to re-qualify for her driver's license now too. "Thanks but I think I'll walk."

"Are you kidding? It's like thirty degrees out there and you live five miles from here."

"I'll be fine Matt," she told him tightly, as she jammed the rest of her gear into the duffle.

"Elisa this is crazy. Not even the criminals are out there right now," he tried to reason with her.

"Damn it Matt would you get a clue! I don't want your help. I don't want anyone's help ok! I got myself into this mess I'm going to find my way out of it! So quit trying to coddle me like everyone else. And quit showing up at my house uninvited, because I know what all of you are doing."

Matt just stared at her in shock. Then she watched as a crimson flush crept up his neck. "Fine!" he shouted back at her. "You want me to be blunt with you, well here it is. Get over yourself! He's dead and he's not coming back. There's nothing you could have done and the sooner you get that through your goddamned thick skull the sooner you can move on with your life. Goliath and his Clan were dealt a life-changing blow a thousand years ago, and yet they woke up here in our city and decided to make the best of the life they were condemned to live here. You aren't the only one to go through this and you certainly aren't the last. So suck it up and deal!"

Now it was Elisa's turn to stare at him in stunned silence. It was a rare thing to see Matt loose his patience with anyone. But to have it directed at her in full-force was a new experience for her in all their years together as partners. The range was silent once more, as the few people in the massive room gawked at the two partners.

As the silence stretched on, his words finally sank into Elisa's stunned mind, and something deep down snapped. All the anger, frustration, and pain boiled up to the surface and found an outlet. Her fist connected with his jaw faster than anyone would have thought possible given her injuries.

In the end it took three other officers to haul her off Matt, and she struggled in their grasp as the two glared at each other. "You bastard!" she spat at him.

"You need help Elisa," he told her sadly, as he pulled his shirt straight and wiped the blood off his lip. "I lost one of my best friends last month, but I can't stand here and watch you self destruct. If you don't find some way to deal with this, then you can find yourself another partner."

Elisa froze, and they stared hard at each other before he shook his head and walked away.

Behind the one-way glass in the observation booth, two figures stood watching the scene silently. "She's off the streets."

"But-,"

"I'm sorry Captain, but she's become too much of a risk to the department. Bring her to my office tomorrow morning for a meeting."

"Sir, Maza's lost a lot right now…if we take this away from her…"

"I'm not firing her Maria. The Chief is recreating the Gargoyle Task Force- only this time it will be run _by_ the gargoyles. They will need a CO they can trust that will show them the ropes. The Chief and I both agree that Maza would be perfect for the new position. She'll be working closely with them still, can keep the same shift, and will still be kept busy with the work she'll have cut out for her. It'll be an honor really. Bypassing several steps to be promoted to Captain…the youngest at that. She'd be a fool not to accept it."

Maria Chavez looked back at the injured detective and watched as the stubborn woman shook off the other officers as they relaxed their grip on her. Elisa shouldered her bag with a wince, and then stalked out of the range. "I hope she feels the same way too Commissioner," she told him sadly. "Because if she doesn't, it scares me to think what she might do once she realizes we're taking her job away."

Elisa was about halfway home, when she was beginning to regret her decision to walk home. Sure the frigid air had provided a welcome burn to her lungs for the first mile or so. It had certainly helped to cool her down, and maybe even clear her mind a bit. But after the second mile, her ribs were beginning to protest under the weight of the bag, and the pain in her leg was progressing from stinging to throbbing.

"So have you cooled off enough to let me offer you a ride the rest of the way or am I going to have to order you to get in the car?" a voice called out, as a familiar car slowed up next to her.

Elisa halted, rolled her eyes, but limped over to Maria's car and got in without any protest. "Thanks," she mumbled as Maria reached over and helped her with the seatbelt when her frozen fingers fumbled to latch it securely.

The two women lapsed into silence as Maria drove them the rest of the way to Elisa's apartment building. When they pulled up, Maria put a hand on Elisa's shoulder to stop her exit. "Elisa, what Matt said back there.."

"Great, you saw that?" Elisa groaned.

"I wasn't the only one," she told Elisa with a troubled look. Then she shook her head moving on. "What he said, was right, though he shouldn't have said it quite in that manner. I've been where you're at Elisa," Maria told her honestly. "I didn't get to where I am now without help. It wasn't easy to admit it to myself but when I finally did, and got the help I needed, I was able to move on with my life. Your pride will only get in the way here Maza."

"Is there like some kind of book all of you have read up on that your quoting out of?" Elisa asked, her voice laced slightly with sarcasm.

"No we're all just hoping that if you hear it enough it'll get through that damn thick head of yours," Maria told her seriously. She removed her hand from Elisa's shoulder and looked back out the windshield.

Elisa opened the door. "We're going downtown tomorrow. Commissioner wants us in his office at nine sharp so have your dress blues on."

"The Commissioner? Why?"

Chavez paused, and Elisa didn't like the fact that Maria refused to look back at her. "He and the Chief want to talk to you about the new Gargoyle Task Force they're going to create for the Clan."

There was a moment of silence, and Elisa had a sinking feeling as she watched her Captain stare out the windshield. "Alright. I'll be in your office at eight."

**New Gotham**

**Wayne Manor**

"Ah, thank you Alfred," Bruce said gratefully as he accepted the large mug brimming with strong coffee.

"Burning the midnight oil again sir?"

"Just looking over at some of the details to this business deal with Destine and Xanatos."

"Where's Miss Helena?"

"I gave her the evening off. Reese managed to get a free evening and I know she's been upset about how little time they've had together lately. Besides, she's read this entire thing through and knows more about it that I do."

"There is little deterring Miss Helena once she sets her mind to something," Alfred chuckled. "How are things progressing with you and Miss Destine? I assume she's not trying to take over your company anymore."

Bruce sat back and watched the older man carefully, under the pretense of sipping his coffee. "No she's not. So tell me, did you know that she has a secret identity as well?"

"You mean that she is a gargoyle named Demona at night? Yes, I was made aware of that fact by Mister Goliath and Detective Maza during their stay with us."

"I saw you speak with her during the wake after Goliath's funeral."

"Indeed I did Master Bruce. I made it a point to speak with everyone in attendance."

"She seemed to know you, and you've asked me about her three times in the last two weeks now. Care to enlighten me as to your interest in her?"

Alfred gave a small grin, realizing Bruce was on to him. "Miss Demona was a…resident here at Wayne Manor many years ago Master Bruce."

Bruce frowned. "I don't remember her, and I think I would remember something as extraordinary as a gargoyle living here."

"I'd imagine you wouldn't remember her Master Bruce for you were but a small child when she left. She came to know three generations of Wayne's during her prolonged stay in the safe haven beneath the manor. She was quite helpful in making some of the modifications in the more inaccessible parts of the cave, from what I was told."

"Why did she leave?"

"I don't really know for sure Master Bruce., but she distrusted humans a great deal, and she had one in particular that had been hunting her for centuries."

"Centuries?" Bruce asked skeptically.

"Miss Demona is immortal Master Bruce. Something to do with a spell cast on her by a member of the Third Race. Her enemy was not immortal, simply a family that passed it's legacy of killing gargoyles and hunting her down, from one generation to the next. She never stayed in one place too long- a lesson she learned the hard way I fear."

"In what way?" Bruce asked intrigued now.

"The Hunter would eventually find her, and it would always result in bloodshed. Many times in that of the innocent people she was with at the time. She had no desire to see the Wayne family brought to ruin by this Hunter's madness. I believe she left to protect us, though she did keep in touch with your father from time to time. I'll never forget when she returned here one night, after your parents had been murdered."

Bruce was surprised by the suddenly troubled look on his old friends face. "What happened?"

"You were already asleep, and I was retiring to my quarters when I heard a knock at the door. She asked if it was the Hunter, and I assured her it wasn't. She looked relieved for but a second, and then her eyes filled with glowing hatred. She swore that it was a waste of life and humans knew nothing except how to kill. I asked if she wanted to see you, but she simply shook her head and coldly told me that you would grow up to be another hunter. I think that was the night she truly gave up on humans Master Bruce."

Bruce was quiet for a moment. "In a way she was right Alfred."

"Yes, but you never crossed the line the Hunter, or Miss Demona herself crossed. Not even when that which was most precious was taken from you and you had the chance to avenge her death."

"After all these years, I still wonder if I had made a mistake in letting him live," Bruce admitted quietly.

"Master Bruce, you walk a think line. To kill out of self-defense is one thing. To kill for revenge is another."

"And what of Reese? He killed her when she was unarmed Alfred." He was still having trouble with that.

"Detective Reese is an officer of the law, and as such is allowed a little more freedom when it comes to taking another's life if there is a viable threat to himself or others. He will most certainly have to deal with his own feelings on the matter, quite possibly for the rest of his life. However, in this case, I believe Detective Reese was acting out of the best interests of those he cared for and not out of revenge. Had it been revenge, he could have taken action against Harley Quinn a year ago."

"What of Helena? She walks the line even tighter than I do?"

"Miss Helena is guided by her instincts to survive. But with Miss Barbara and Miss Dinah by her side, she's been able to control that animalistic side of her that controls her most dangerous impulses. Don't forget, it was Helena who kept Miss Barbara from delivering the killing blow the Quinn during their first encounter. They look out for each other as it should be, for no one is infallible Master Bruce."

"Point taken Alfred," Bruce chuckled.

"Shall you be needing anything else for the evening Master Bruce?"

"I'm good Alfred. Thank you."

"Then I believe I'll retire for the evening."

"Good night Alfred."

"Good night Master Bruce."

Helena's apartment……

"You slept with that noise?" Jesse asked his bedmate.

Helena grinned in the dim light as she rolled over to face him. "Yeah, well it isn't always this loud. But there's something soothing in the steady beat of the bass."

Jesse tilted his head to the side, listened for a minute. "I guess in a weird, demented way there is," he said finally. Then he grinned. "The plus side of this, is you get to make all the noise you want and no one will ever notice."

Helena found herself distracted by the hand that was tracing lazy patterns on her bare stomach. "Oh yeah," she sighed happily. "Tell me you have the rest of the night off," she almost begged.

His lips found hers in a searing kiss. "I've been a good boy and was given an entire night off," he responded gratefully.

"Damn…..I was just getting to like the bad you too," she said with a mock pout.

A strange look crossed his features, and he suddenly rolled away from her. "Hey…I was just joking Jesse. What's wrong?"

He pulled himself up to rest against the headboard as he sighed. "It's just, I shot Quinn you know. And well, it's like I'm this hero for doing that. It makes me uncomfortable because I can just see Dick cringing every time I get a pat on the back for taking out Quinn."

"Reese…Jesse, you did what you had to do, because it's your job."

"What if I didn't have to shoot her? Your dad was right…she was unarmed."

"Quinn didn't have to be armed to be dangerous, or did you forget how she got control of me?" Helena asked bitterly. "That woman was a menace to society, and quite frankly even Barbara- good wholesome Barbara- is glad she's gone. Jesse, you can't keep second-guessing yourself on this. You did what you thought was right at the time, and armed or not, Quinn was still a viable threat to you and everyone else there."

"I just don't think it's right to be gloating over the death of a person."

"Are you gloating?"

"Well no…but,"

She was straddling his lap, a finger over his lips before he could finish his sentence. "Sometimes, actions need to be taken that not everyone can take. Barbara, Dinah, my dad, and myself follow the no-kill policy because it's not our job to decide who lives and who dies. But it is yours. You have that authority, and sometimes you are forced to decide between a criminal's life and that of general public. You have to play judge, jury, and executioner in the blink of an eye, and don't have the luxury to take a time out and think about it. When you were up there and you saw Barbara like she was, and you saw Quinn trying to escape, what did you feel?"

"I was afraid. I was afraid she had killed Barbara and that would send you over the edge again. That she would escape and come back to ruin your lives further and who knew how many other people. I couldn't let her get away with that Hel. It had to end."

"Did it feel like the right choice?"

"Yes," he answered more firmly.

"You've got a good heart Jesse….and I believe you made the right choice. Now enough shop talk," she murmured as she nibbled on his lower lip. "I think we were talking about making lots of noise?" she asked with and arched brow when she leaned back slightly.

He dangled a pair of handcuffs. "So I guess you don't want me to break these out then?" he grinned.

Her smile was positively indecent. "Mreowrrrrr," she purred as she lunged forward to claim his mouth.

**Manhattan**

**NYPD Headquarters**

"Detective?"

Elisa stared ahead, not really seeing anything- or hearing anything either for that matter.

"Detective Maza?"

_Had someone sucked all the air out of the room?_ Because, she was definitely having a hard time breathing.

"Elisa, breathe," a familiar voice coached from somewhere nearby.

Elisa blinked as a glass of water was pressed into her hand and she looked at it in confusion before time finally resumed. She looked up at Maria Chavez, who wore an expression of concern and deep sadness. Then she turned her attention to the four men seated in front of her. She set the glass down hard and sucked in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," she began, trying to think clearly. "Did you just tell me that I'm losing my job?"

"Far from it Elisa," the Chief answered, trying to calm the storm he knew was brewing. "You're being promoted Detective. To Captain, no less."

"Then I respectfully decline the promotion sir."

The Chief shared a look with the three other top brass assembled in the room who all shook their heads. Clearing his throat, the Chief looked back at Elisa. "I'm sorry Detective Maza, but this offer is non-negotiable."

"I'm one of the best street cops in this department! How can you do this to me?" she demanded angrily.

"Because you've also become a liability to this department Elisa. Granted, we as your Commanding Officers accept partial responsibility for that. It is Department Policy that any officer who undergoes any type of stressful or traumatic experience is to be sent to a therapist for consultation," the Commissioner explained calmly as he looked down at the file in front of him. "You've been shot twice, been sent to hospital a dozen other times for serious other injuries, just barely made it out of the Towers before they fell, and survived one of the bloodiest weapon's raid in this and New Gotham's history. Not once have you asked or been ordered to seek any type of help in dealing with such tragedies.

"When those guns hit the street, you became obsessed. To the point that you began breaking department policy, bent the law, and nearly cost this department millions of dollars in lawsuits for excessive force used during interrogations. The only reason your own Captain even let you stay on this case was because your contacts seemed to be the only ones who could turn up anything on the HQ's."

"Look I'll get whatever help you want me to get," she told them. "But please….don't take this away from me."

The Commissioner gave her a sympathetic look. "Elisa you have been one of the most promising officers this department has had in a long time. You've done your tour of duty in the trenches, think about everything you can show and teach all of these kids by accepting this position," he tried to reason with her, sincerely.

"With all due respect sirs, I worked my ass off to get where I'm at now," she told them stubbornly. "This is what I know and this is where I can best serve the department. My record speaks for itself. I mean, yeah, maybe in another few years I'd be happy to step up in rank, but not right now. If you take me off the streets then you might as well put a gun to my head, because there is no way in hell that I'm going to spend the rest of my days on the force driving a desk and pushing papers."

There was a long silence, as she glared at each of her commanding officers. "I'm going to give you one last chance to accept this offer Detective," the Commissioner told her in a grave voice after a minute had passed.

Elisa was on her feet instantly. "So that's it? Take your offer or lose my job?. This is this thanks I get? 'Thanks for your service, but you're too much of a risk so we're going to stick you behind a desk from now on.' God you people make me sick. You have no idea what I sacrificed that night for this city," she spat at them vehemently.

"On the contrary Elisa," the Chief told her quietly, a sad look in his eye. "We know exactly what you lost that night. Which made this decision even more difficult for us, but all the more necessary."

Elisa stared at them in disbelief for a moment a deathly silence filling the room. Then she turned on her Captain. "You told them!"

Chavez shook her head. "No, but when they confronted me about it, I was obliged to confirm what they had already suspected Elisa."

Elisa closed her eye and grit her teeth as everything in her world narrowed to one single emotion. Anger. Anger for the seeming betrayal. Anger at the fact that she was about to loose the one thing in her life that still meant something to her. Anger that she was helpless to do anything to stop it. Anger that Goliath went and had to play hero that night and left her here alone to live in this hell.

Blood roared past her ears, and for a moment all she could hear was her own harsh breathing. Then something deep within her snapped. She ripped her badge off and hurled it across the room, and watched with grim satisfaction as it sank into the wood just beyond where the Commissioner sat. She yanked her gun out of it's holster and slammed it on the table. "Consider this, my answer to your…._offer_," she told them in a cold emotionless voice.

No one spoke as she straightened, and then stormed out of the office. Several seconds of silence stretched out as the room's occupants tried to figure out how things how spiraled so quickly out of control. "We're making a huge mistake here," Chavez whispered finally.

"We're risking an even bigger one if we put her back out on the streets Captain."

Chavez's look made it clear she didn't agree with them one bit. With a quick word to excuse herself, she too exited the office and chased after Elisa.

Elisa slammed through the doors of the Department's Downtown Headquarters and welcomed the cool blast of air that began to chase away some of the suffocation she had begun to feel. "Elisa wait!"

Elisa spun around, and the anger quickly reared back up. Without thought, her hand swung out and connectedly solidly with Maria's cheek with enough force to bring passers-by to a halt. "How can you let them do this to me!" she screamed at the woman she had once thought of as a friend. "How could you betray me like that!" she demanded.

Maria was silent for a moment, unable to answer in the face of such hurt and fury. "I gave my heart and soul to this job and this is what I get! Christ, you've known me since I was in diapers Maria! You were supposed to have my back….be my friend! Of all people in that room, you more than anyone else really and truly know what I've sacrificed over the years for this department…for this city. And you just sat there and let them take it all away from me."

Tears were now running down the furious woman's face as she finally let out the anger and frustration that had been building for years now.

Maria Chavez was not one to back down easily though. "I fought this with every ounce of power I had Elisa! I tried to call in every favor owed to me, but they wouldn't budge. You're right, I do know what you've given up for this city, and I knew what this would do to you if they took you off the streets. I tried to fight this Elisa. Don't you dare tell me that I just rolled over up there and let them do this," Maria snapped back, her voice thick with emotion as well.

The pain was suddenly back in Elisa's eyes as she seemed to deflate slightly. "You told them about Goliath? Did you even think about the consequences that could have for me?" she asked in a betrayed voice.

"Elisa they already knew about…" she glanced around seeing the interested bystanders and yanked the younger woman towards her car. As soon as they were inside, Chavez rounded on Elisa again. "They already knew about your relationship with Goliath. I have no idea how, but when they were questioning me about it, it was obvious they were testing to see if I would cover for you. And consequences be damned I did cover for you because I know what it's like to have a relationship judged just because people can't understand it. I'm in a lot of hot water for trying to cover up for you Elisa. Once they made it clear that they knew I was lying, _then and only then,_ was I obliged to tell them the truth."

Elisa's anger finally fled, the tears continued silently, and she looked out the car window blankly. "What am I going to do now?" she whispered, sounding lost and scared.

Chavez sighed. "Elisa you're a smart woman. I know you'll have something figured out in no time. But maybe it's for the best that you take a break for a while. Get some things straightened out in your head. I'm going to make sure you'll receive your pension, and that you continue to receive benefits from the department until you've recovered from this whole ordeal. This department and city owe you that at the very least."

"God what am I going to tell my dad?" Elisa groaned as she brought her hand up to massage the throbbing growing in her skull.

"To be honest?" Maria began hesitantly. "They'll probably be happy that you've decided to quit. I can't tell you how many times I've heard them both express how worried they have been that I'd show up on their doorstep one night telling them you were killed. Funny thing was, you're mother never worried about your dad." She was thoughtfully silent for a second before she allowed herself a quiet, wry chuckle.

"But then your father never really tried to take on the mafia, corrupt billionaires, hate mobs, or magical creatures bent on destroying humanity or this city." She was rewarded with a snort. It was something. "Elisa, I know how much this job meant to you. Don't let it destroy you, because there is still so much more you can do with your life. All those things you've sacrificed over the years….maybe it's time you started living a normal life again and experience a few of those things," Chavez encouraged gently.

Elisa was quiet for a while as she continued to stare vacantly out the window. Maria started up the car and headed back towards the precinct. When they were only a few blocks away Elisa reached for the handle while they sat at a red light.

"Elisa?"

"I need to think."

"Elisa it's freezing out there. At least let me take you home."

"I'll be fine. I- I just need to go somewhere and clear my head," Elisa insisted as she got out of the car and began to button up her heavy coat. She stuck her head back inside. "I'm sorry for what I said back there Maria…I-."

"It's ok Elisa. I understand," Maria told her gently.

Elisa nodded. "Thanks. I just want you to know, that you're not to blame- and I sincerely believe that."

Before Maria could respond to that, Elisa had shut the door and was disappearing into the crowd. A feeling of dread passed over the Captain as she digested Elisa's words, and she quickly pulled over to jump out of her car, intent on finding her friend. But the raven-haired woman had vanished amongst the throngs of humans that were braving the frigid weather. Several minutes later, Maria Chavez slid back into the driver's seat. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and stared at it, before finally pushing a button.

"Hello, you've reached the home of Peter and Diane Maza. Sorry we missed your call but please leave a message at the beep."

Maria sighed deeply, and then cleared her throat as the machine beeped. "Hi…it's Maria. Listen, something important came up today and I since I have a feeling Elisa's not going to talk to you about it any time soon I think you should know. Please call me back on my cell as soon as possible- I don't care what time it is. Talk to you soon."

Elisa walked, not really knowing where she was going, her mind nearly as numb as her body. It was at least an hour later judging by the fact that the sun was reaching its zenith, when she stared up at the memorial that was erected at Ground Zero. Memories of that day flooded her mind, and merged with the fresh memories of a more recent ground zero that she had lived through. Unable to withstand the emotional onslaught, she collapsed onto a nearby bench and dropped her head into her hands as the sobs came.

Normally, in New York, citizens would pass by a sobbing woman without a second thought. But here, at the Memorial, it was a completely different story. Curious visitors paused to watch the grief stricken officer, wondering whom she had lost. Residents however, would slow up to rest a comforting hand on her shoulder. They knew that while she may have lost loved ones or friends when the towers came down, it was the survivor's guilt and memories that were plaguing her right now.

Nearly an hour later, Elisa was still slumped over on the cold bench, staring blankly in front of her, oblivious to the world as her mind constantly replayed every nightmare in her life over and over, trying desperately to stop them. The morbid images continued until her mind simply shut down, unable to process or cope with the tragedies that she had suffered silently through over the last few years, and had culminated in the death of the one person she had dared to open her heart to. Had it not been for the timely interruption from a young boy, she may have continued to sit there until she had quite literally frozen to death.

"Did you lose some one too?" a small voice asked, in a near whisper.

Elisa blinked, drawn out of her mindless state, and simply looked at the child, unable to voice any reply.

He didn't seem to mind, sensing that she wasn't in the mood to talk. But as a child, that didn't phase him, and he simply continued to talk. "I lost my mom when they came down," he confided to her. "Daddy says that someday I won't miss her as much. I know he says that to make me feel better, but sometimes at nights…I'll hear him cry or talk to her. I don't think I'll ever stop missing her."

"The pain never goes away," Elisa told him in a hoarse whisper. The boy blinked, startled. It was probably the first time anyone had told him that. "Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying," she continued harshly.

He frowned at the ground, thinking about that. Then with childlike stubbornness he shook his head and looked back up at her. "Sure it can. It's just like any other time we get hurt. Sometimes, like grandma, we get hurt real bad and never heal from it. But at least it doesn't hurt as much as when we first got hurt. We just have to let someone fix us."

With the boy's words ringing in her ears, Elisa did something she had never done in her life. She fled.

Owen Burnett paused in the hallway as a faint noise caught his attention from nearby. With Fox and Alexander away from the castle for the afternoon, and David tied up in board meetings for the day, there should have been no one else in the residences. He quickly moved down the hall, and traced the source of the noise from the room Elisa typically used when she stayed overnight at the castle.

The door was slightly ajar, so the blonde major domo swung it open all the way the reveal Elisa sitting on the bed, wearing her dress blues, and stroking Cagney. "Detective," he greeted blandly.

Elisa shook her head. "Not anymore Owen," she told him hoarsely.

Owen frowned, and it was one of the few times she had actually seen him caught off guard. "I quit," she explained shortly.

He moved a few paces closer. "Elisa, since you woke up, you've been determined to get back onto your feet and back to your job, at the risk of your own recovery. What prompted such a decision?"

"They were pulling me off the streets. They called it a promotion," she told him with a bitter laugh. "Screw all my hard work, loyalty, and sacrifice, it all boils down to the fact that the feel I'm too unstable to continue doing the job. Their terms were non-negotiable, either take their offer or lose my job."

"I was under the impression that you would most likely be assigned to work with the gargoyles as they are incorporated into the department. Would that not be a suitable arra-"

"Don't even say it," Elisa broke in harshly, as she stood up from the bed and brushed past the blonde aide. Owen fell silent as she stared out the window, trying to see past her own marred reflection. "I failed them in the worst way possible Owen. Goliath sacrificed his life for _me_ that night. All of the pain they try to hide away every night is because of _me_. I was in this way over my head and I knew it from the start. But the one thing I had sworn to myself when this all began, was that I would do whatever it takes to protect my family and the people I care about from this threat. I never stopped to think that they would need to be protected from me as well," she told him dismally.

"Had I known Goliath would have shown up at the docks that night. That he would have lost his life trying to protect me. I would have never brought the Clan into this mess. I would have found another way. Damn him," she whispered harshly, as she wiped at the fresh tears that began to form.

"Elisa," Owen began, in a voice that bordered on sympathy. He has stepped closer to her, and was unprepared for the sudden attack that left him dazed on the ground. "Damn him for not realizing that I'd never be able to bear the guilt of his death," she whispered softly as she dropped broken vase she had broken over his skull.

A sympathetic look came over her face as she watched him struggle to rise, only to slump unsteadily back to the floor. "I'm sorry Owen," she told him sadly as she reached for the handcuffs that were still inside her belt pouch. "I didn't know you would be here, but I cannot allow you to stop me."

She watched as his eyes widened slightly, comprehension dawning on his face as she rolled him onto his stomach and cuffed his hands behind his back. The iron in the cuffs immediately began to curb any struggle he had left in him, but Elisa made sure he could not escape by tying his feet together and securing him firmly to one of the bedposts. She gagged him, watching as his eyes began rolling back into his head, and rested a hand on his shoulder briefly.

"Don't blame yourself for not stopping me. But the cycle of pain has to stop. Please tell them I'm sorry…God I'm so sorry," she whispered hoarsely as her eyes closed in pain.

When she opened them, Owen was slumped over, unconscious. She stood and moved over to the window where she allowed herself to freely weep for a few minutes longer as she watched the sun dip lower on the horizon.

**BREAK**

She stood before the large mirror, making minor adjustments to her dress uniform, before she reached out and placed the cap on her head. After another minute of fussing with it's placement, she donned the white gloves and stared at the image that was reflected back at her. An image that no longer reflected the woman she had once been.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

She never dozed at work. Why she had nodded off at her desk this time she would never fully know, however when she jerked awake, a sense of terror had filled her heart as images from her dream replayed themselves in her now alert mind. _Hurry!_ A voice whispered desperately in her mind. One that had been on the fringes of her dreams and nightmares these past two weeks. One that she had been trying to avoid since his death. She couldn't explain why or how that voice spurred her into frantic action. All she knew was that she needed to get to the castle….soon.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Glancing out the window she took note of the sun's quickening decent along the horizon and looked over her room one last time. With a final smoothing of her dress jacket, she gathered up the small stack of letters on her desk, leaving only one behind on the desk and then quietly exited the room. It was time.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

She drove like a woman possessed. Which perhaps wasn't far from the truth, she reflected at a much later time. However, as she glanced at the sun's position in the sky, and then at the grid locked traffic ahead of her, she realized she wouldn't make it in time if she didn't do something drastic. So she abandoned her now unmoving vehicle and began to run, ignoring protests and bewildered looks, as she closed in on her target still several blocks away.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

A numb feeling had settled in her body hours ago…perhaps even days ago. So as she began her slow climb up to the courtyard, she took no note of any pain or discomfort to her still healing injuries. She merely noted that it was with some stiffness that she bent over to place a letter in front of each Clan member, placing a small stone on top of the envelopes to keep them from blowing away in the approaching evening's breeze.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

She ran almost blindly, cursing the heeled shoes that were slowing her down. She finally halted her mad dash, to briefly rip off the offending footwear, and then began pounding down the crowded street barefooted at a much faster rate. Instinct alone guided her, for she saw nothing but the images that kept replaying in her mind from the dream.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

As she placed the last letter before the stone form of Angela, she paused to take in the girl's frozen features. A trembling hand reached out, and she rubbed her knuckles across the young woman's stone brow. "You've got your mother now sweetheart. Be strong and don't ever give up," she whispered fiercely as a single tear tracked down her cheek before she withdrew her hand and turned to look up at the parapet that towered over the small Clan. His Parapet.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Panic was now pounding in her chest as she realized how dangerously low the sun was. By The Dragon she had to get to the castle! She couldn't be caught out here amidst this sea of humanity when the sunset. She turned a corner, and a small noise of relief escaped her throat as the massive abode of Xanatos towered before her, with the Clan's ancestral home perched atop. She redoubled her efforts, and nearly broke the heavy glass doors off their hinges as she slammed through them at full force. A couple of security guards attempted to stop her, but her momentum and desperation easily threw the startled men off as she bolted for the elevators. Luck was on her side, for the doors were just beginning to close when she jumped into them and punched in the security code that would take her up into the castle.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Sir there's been a security breach."

Xanatos frowned. Why was he hearing this from his security chief instead of Owen? For that matter, where was Owen? "What's the situation?" Xanatos asked pushing a button on his desk. His bookcases slid aside, revealing a wall of security cameras, and he began typing in commands.

"Just a single female sir." There was a slight hesitation. "I...I think it was Ms. Destine, Mr. Xanatos, but she went through here so fast that we didn't get a good look at her. Whoever it was, she was pretty desperate to get up to the castle. Shall I stop the elevators?"

Xanatos called up the elevator cameras, and was met with a surprising image of a very disheveled Dominique Destine occupying one of the elevators. "No, it's ok. I'll handle things from here. Did you inform Mr. Burnett of the situation?"

"We tried sir, but we were unable to reach him, so we called you immediately."

"I see. Carry on then."

Xanatos eyed the agitated redhead, noting just how close to sunset it was, as he quickly began scanning through all of the cameras. Something was going on, and he didn't like the feel of it. Demona was cutting it too close to her transformation for a random visit, Owen was missing, and…..what the hell was Elisa doing up on the castle parapets in her dress uniform?

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

She climbed the last step, and closed her eyes for a second as painful memories threatened to overwhelm her. When she had finally forced the agonizing emotions down enough that she could see when she opened her eyes, she walked out onto the flagstones that she had journeyed across a thousand times. She had not come up here since his death however, and it struck her just how much she missed the view. Moving over to one side, she glanced down at where the others were poised in their stone slumber across the courtyard. She stared at them for a minute before limping around to the other side, the one that dropped off the edge of the castle to the city streets far below.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Xanatos took in Elisa's formal clothing, the set of her shoulders, and the somber expression the cameras had picked up when she had faced the courtyard. When she limped over to the far side of the parapet however, a pit began to form in his stomach. He looked back at Demona, who was now stumbling out of the elevators, and watched as the first tremors of her transformation started to overcome her.

"Xanatos…..I know your watching and listening…stop her….you've got…to stop her…." And then the words were cut off as a sharp gasp of pain brought the human to her knees as the transformation began to morph her body back into her true form.

Xanatos was already out of his office by the time her first scream echoed through the castle.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

It was so peaceful up here. She had missed this…missed sharing this moment of peace with him. Their lives had been a living hell these past few years, but she would have her peace with him soon. Her city was safe now, and the Clan was safe. They had found a foothold in this world- hopefully a solid one- and had human allies that would watch over them as she once had. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, she nodded to herself. She had fulfilled her duty to them, and with luck their race would begin to flourish again as humanity took the first steps in accepting the gargoyles and they in turn took steps to unite themselves.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

He ran down the stone hallway, turned a corner at full speed and almost lost his footing before he caught his balance. A priceless suite of armor clattered along the stones as he pushed off it in his attempt to keep on his feet, but it was of no concern to him as he wished for not the first time, that he had a smaller home.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

She screamed as bones began to break and re-align, yet she still pushed herself back to her feet to stumble further down the hall. But as her feet began to reform, she lost her balance and collapsed to the ground grunting and writhing in agony. Her vision wavered as she briefly noted that she was in front of the massive library doors, and then her flesh was brutally ripped open as she gave birth to the bony spurs on her knees, elbows and brow.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The first cracks echoed through the air from below, and she pulled herself up onto the wall, now able to see the Clan from this vantage point. A soft smile touched her lips as the cracks grew and small chips began to fall from their bodies. The breeze was now picking up around her, and after one last look down at amazing beings that were emerging from their stone slumber, she turned to welcome the coming night.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Damnit, she locked the door to the tower! Turning, he began to backtrack down the hallway, and skidded around another corner, before taking the steps leading to the courtyard three at a time. He threw open the exterior door and was greeted with the familiar sounds of stone shattering as the Clan woke. Heart pounding, the billionaire rushed out into the courtyard and spun about to peer up into the growing darkness at the woman that was now balanced precariously on the edge of the castle.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The wind was whipping up fiercely now- almost angrily she mused. She closed her eyes, raised her arms, and could almost feel herself flying in his protective hold once more, as strong air currents raced through her hair and against her face. And then suddenly everything in her life faded away. There was no more pain. No more guilt. No more sadness or longing. She had finally found peace.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

He watched in horror as she began to teeter forward. "ELISA NOOOOO!"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The immortal threw herself at the massive doors, they gave, and she crawled inside, even as the flesh on her back began to bulge.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

She saw the note at her feet the instant she had broken free, and was reaching to pick it up when Xanatos' desperate shout snapped her head around. She saw him collapse to his knees, chest heaving and looking helplessly upward. Her own eyes were drawn up to her father's tower, and then widened in terror.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

She teetered forward, and the wind shoved back against her. She smiled wryly, eyes still closed, feeling Him all around her. "It's ok," she whispered. "I don't expect you to catch me any more." And then she fell into the welcoming arms of the night.


	38. Together

**A/N:** I'm not going to bore you with a long a/n so thanks for your feedback and enjoy….

Somewhere there was a tremendous crashing of glass breaking. A body slamming full force into hers shattered Elisa Maza's peace, as an inhuman scream was ripped from the throat of her unwanted savior.

"No," Elisa sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut even as she recognized that howl and could feel Demona's body shudder as she underwent the last of her transformation.

Up above, the Clan watched in shock and then relief as Demona made a timely and dramatic exit from the castle library window, just a second after Elisa had hurtled past. She slammed into Elisa and their bodies tumbled in the air for a few more breathless seconds before her transformation was complete enough for her to spread her newly sprouted wings.

There was another howl from the indigo warrior, a mix of agony and anguish as she slowed their decent scant moments before they both became imbedded in the frozen concrete below. People were staring up at them in fear and surprise, screaming at first and then cheering as they realized they were witnessing a rescue.

It took all of her will to angle her wings to arch them upwards where the currents would lift them both. Elisa was trembling and sobbing in Demona's arms. "Just let me go," she was repeating over and over.

Demona's grip tightened on her, and Elisa felt herself slipping into oblivion. Just before she slipped under however, she caught one final glance of her savior's face and would have gasped if she'd had the strength. Demona's eyes went from blood red to brilliant white, and as their gaze lock, Demona emitted seven small words that followed her into unconsciousness.

"I'll always be here to catch you."

Demona felt Elisa go slack, turned her gaze upwards to see the anxious faces of the others looking down at them. A violent shiver ran through her body, and when she looked back down at her precious cargo, her eyes were scarlet once more. A tear streaked down her cheek and was carried away by the frigid night air that swirled around her. "I can't always keep you from falling, but I'll always be here to catch you," the immortal swore before she swerved away from the castle and headed home with Elisa safely cradled in her arms.

In a different plane of existence…… 

He gasped, weak and shaking like a newborn hatchling, as he collapsed to the ground. He wasn't allowed much rest as his mentor hauled him back to his feet.

"What the hell did you think you were doing!" he shouted angrily.

"I…I could not let her die…like that…not like that…." Goliath panted.

"Damnit Goliath, that is not up to us! Do you realize the ramifications for this?" Boston asked gravely. Then he moaned. "Man, I am so dead. Sue is going to have a fit."

"I'm sorry…but I couldn't let it happen. I'll accept whatever fate is in store for me… but I had to do it."

"It is not just your fate we are talking about now Goliath. Yes you could have damned yourself for all eternity by pulling a stunt like that. But your actions now will now jeopardize the lives of others- including hers. Pull yourself together," Boston told him shortly. "We've got to get the team together and deal with this situation before it spirals out of control."

**Castle Wyvern**

**Manhattan**

"Wh- What the hell is she doing?" Brooklyn shouted as he watched Demona take off with Elisa's limp body. He moved to leap off the parapets, when Angela's arm settled on his shoulder.

"Let them go Brooklyn," she said softly her eyes glued on her mother's retreating form.

"Angela…Elisa just tried…she just…she.." he sputtered, unable to bring himself to say it.

"Lass she may be in need of medical attention," Hudson suggested gently.

"There's nothing that can be done for her right now that my mother can't heal. She is the only one who can reach Elisa now," Angela answered distantly. She had seen her mother's eyes for that brief moment that she had glanced upwards. She knew there could only be one explanation for the brilliant white glow that had filled them for those few intense seconds.

A breathless Xanatos had joined them on the castle ledge, staring silently off into the distance. Angela finally turned to him, noticing his somewhat pale features. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.

He looked at her, and for the first time ever, the Clan watched the normally calm and reserved billionaire loose it. "Are you kidding me! Damnit Angela I watched your father die. I wake up every night seeing him struggling for his last breaths, asking myself why I couldn't have been there just ten seconds earlier to save someone that I actually gave a damn about! The woman he loved has been self-destructing since his death, and we've been powerless to stop it. And now, tonight, I watch her throw herself off my home and nearly witnessed her death as well. So no…I am not okay!" he ranted.

He paused, his breath coming in harsh pants before he looked around. "And where the hell is Owen!"

"I'm right here sir," came the aide's strained voice.

All eyes snapped over to where Owen was standing, leaning heavily against the door that Xanatos had exited earlier. "What happened to you?" Xanatos demanded.

"Elisa," he stated simply, turning his head to reveal the nasty welt and cut to his forehead. He also held out his hands, and Angela gasped.

"She burned you?"

"Ms. Maza wasn't in her right mind, and I believe she forgot that the iron in her cuffs would actually begin to burn my flesh if left on long enough," he answered weakly.

"Ms. Maza?" Broadway asked, instantly picking up on the change of title.

"I came upon Ms. Maza late this afternoon in her guest quarters, wearing her dress uniform. She had just come from a meeting with her Superiors and had resigned from the force. She knocked me out before I realized what her true intention were for this evening."

"Why would Elisa resign from the department?" Broadway asked in disbelief.

"Because they weren't going to let her back on the streets were they?" Brooklyn asked Owen, who nodded gingerly

"You knew?" Angela asked her gaze snapping over towards Brooklyn.

The new Clan leader sighed heavily, shaking his head. "You know I've been in several meetings with the Chief these past few weeks, and she has been the focus of a few of them," the crimson gargoyle admitted.

"Why?"

"Because the Chief isn't stupid and he knew there was something more to Elisa's relationship with us than just the friendship."

"Brooklyn, what exactly did you tell them about Elisa?" Angela asked, looking and sounding very much like her mother as she began to bristle.

Brooklyn didn't back down though. "Nothing the man didn't already know," he answered simply. "And before all of you start trying to pin the blame on someone here," he continued, his voice growing low with restrained anger, "I've been begging him for weeks not to put her behind a desk, because I knew what it would do to her."

"But why would they do something like that? I mean Elisa's aim has been getting a little better," Lex asked confused.

It was Hudson who understood perhaps better than anyone else why such an action would be taken though. "Because the lass may be recovering physically from her injuries, but mentally she would be a greater risk than asset to the police."

"But why can't they just give her more time?"

Hudson just shook his head. "Because it would take far too much time than they can give lad. We've all seen the toll Elisa's ordeals have been takin' on her o'er the years. She was a warrior true an' proud, but this trial….this is the one tha' has broken her.

New Gotham

Wayne Manor

Dinah woke up from where she had dozed off on the couch, with a scream. Alfred and Barbara were by her side in moments. When they reached the teen's side, she was doubled over clutching her head in agony, and sobbing.

"Dinah, what's wrong?" Barbara asked worriedly. When Dinah didn't answered immediately, the redhead looked up at Alfred. "Alfred please call Leslie and ask her to come over immediately."

"No," Dinah finally whispered hoarsely. "It's…I'm…it's not that…..I had a dream…."she told them, her voice hitching in her throat as images and emotions washed through her.

"A dream? You mean like the ones you used to have when you were younger? About Hel and I?"

There was a nod, but the girl was obviously too distressed to reveal what she had seen in her dreams just yet.

"Perhaps some tea would be in order Miss?" Alfred asked quietly. Barbara nodded, and the older man left as Barbara moved as close as she could to the couch and reached out to draw the distressed young woman to her.

"Shhhh….I'm here sweetheart. It's ok….just take your time and let it out….," she soothed, as Dinah sobbed even harder once she was in Barbara's safe embrace.

By the time Alfred returned with a tray of tea and tissues, Dinah's sobs had died down to sniffles and hiccups. "Here you go young Miss," he said gently as he handed her a few tissues.

"Thank you Alfred," she sniffled. She blew her nose, wiped her face and then gratefully accepted the tea, with shaking hands.

After the warm liquid helped to calm her frayed nerves some she set the tea down, and rubbed her head. "We need to call Mr. Xanatos."

"Xanatos? Why? Is there a threat to them or the gargoyles?"

"No…it's Elisa…she…I….in my dream I saw her jump off the castle," she answered, as her composure began to break again.

"Are you sure this wasn't just a nightmare Dinah?" Barbara asked, deeply troubled.

Dinah shook her head adamantly, and then regretted that action with a visible wince. "No," she hissed as her hands went to massaging her head again. "It was too real…like the other dreams I've had. I could feel everything….and the emotions of everyone. It was so intense Barbara….and Goliath…I swear he was there too…"

"Alfred please see if you can reach Mr. Xanatos on his personal line, and inform him of what Dinah just saw."

"Right away."

"Dinah do you know when this was going to happen?"

Dinah looked up, scared. "No….oh god please don't let me be too late. What time is it?"

"It's about 5:30 why?"

"She jumped at sunset….if it was today…..then what I saw…." The teen broke off into tears again.

"Dinah, let's just wait and see what Alfred has to say when he comes back. Whatever the case Dinah, do not blame yourself. Do you understand me? You are still recovering from your injuries, it's amazing that you were able to have this vision at all. It's just like what happened with me and with Hel…there's nothing more you could have done."

"My head hurts," Dinah whimpered, allowing Barbara to draw her close again.

They sat in silence, Barbara rubbing her back soothingly until Alfred came back. He cleared his throat, looking extremely shaken, but trying his best to keep his composure.

"I'm sorry it took me so long, but it took me several tries to get through to Mr. Xanatos. It would seem that Miss. Dinah's vision coincided with the actual event itself."

"Oh god…no…." Dinah sobbed.

"However," he continued a note of hope in his voice. "It would seem that Miss Demona had the same premonitions, and made a timely rescue. She took off with the Detective though, and no one knows anything further of her current condition."

"But she is alive," Barbara said, releasing a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

"She is."

"Thank you Alfred. Would you be so kind as to call Bruce and Helena and fill them in on what's going on? I doubt we will be joining them for dinner tonight."

"I think we could use a quiet night in myself Miss Barbara. Does meatloaf sound agreeable to everyone?" he asked, knowing full well it was Dinah's favorite meal.

She managed a weak smile, and Barbara nodded her thanks to her old friend. "I think that sounds wonderful Alfred."

"I'll call you when supper is ready then."

With some help from Dinah, Barbara transferred onto the couch where she could hold Dinah more comfortably. "You want to talk about it?" she asked quietly after awhile.

"This dream….it was like the others, but it was so different. Everything was chaos, and unfocused. It was like watching a movie, but from all these different viewpoints and all at once. Xanatos was scared. Demona was terrified, and….then she was in pain. God it was horrible. And there was this other presence- the one I think is Goliath. It was like he was trying to reach out to her. And Elisa…" Dinah shuddered.

"She was so hollow and cold. Numb. I've never felt anyone so lost and hopeless before…not even you or Helena after last year."

"Elisa didn't just lose some one she loved. I think when Goliath died, she lost a part of her soul that night," Barbara said sadly.

Dinah frowned, as she tried to sort through the jumble of images and sounds and thoughts that were running around in her throbbing head. And then one revelation shocked her to her core. She hadn't even realized she'd gasped out loud until Barbara gripped her shoulder firmly and asked what was wrong.

"Elisa's pregnant."

"What!"

"Demona…she was terrified… not just of losing Elisa, but of losing her baby too," Dinah whispered.

**Destine Manor**

**New York**

Soft moonlight spilled in though the massive window, outlining the room's two occupants in its silver illumination. One lay curled in a fetal position, weeping quietly on expensive sheets, trapped within her tormented dreams. The other sat curled in a ball in the far corner, rocking back and forth, her wings trembling, as centuries of pent up emotions broke free.

Demona was oblivious to the fact that tears were streaming down her face, or that she was sobbing almost uncontrollably as images and nightmares played across the back of her own eyes every time she blinked. Across from her she watched Elisa face her own private hell, helpless to aid her right now.

She wasn't really sure what had happened a couple of hours ago. She only remembered a sick feeling of terror in her gut, and flashes of a frantic dash to the castle. It had been like waking up from a nightmare, the details still fresh in your mind even though you are safe in your bed. Only she hadn't woken up at home…or even where she had dozed off at her desk. She had looked down, to see Elisa cradled in her arms, her vow still echoing in her mind even as she repeated it for herself.

The trip back to the Manor had been a desperate flight, as Demona's own ghosts and demons began to surface. Now, huddled in the corner like a scared hatchling, she was at the mercy of centuries of nightmares.

Elisa cried out, finally waking herself and sat up with a gasp. A sob still stuck in her chest, she tried to discern where she was, her mind still incoherent. A low keening wail of pain and suffering caught her attention, and she squinted in the darkness, seeing a familiar shock of red hair.

She lunged at Demona- actually is was a more like lurched ungracefully- and fell to her knees in front of the gargoyle. "Why!" she demanded harshly, tears running down her face, her mind in such turmoil that she wasn't even registering Demona's own tormented condition. "Why didn't you just let me die?"

The grip on her shoulders could have been painful if she had been in human form, but it was strong enough to snap Demona out of the waking nightmares. Her eyes flared red immediately and she slapped Elisa across the cheek without thinking, her razor talons leaving tiny scratches. She instantly regretted the action, as she watched the human sway backwards in shock and pain. She didn't regret the result however.

Elisa's tears stopped, and the anger came forth. Grief was not something Demona knew how to deal with well. But anger- she knew anger all too well and knew how to deal with that. "How dare you," Demona hissed back at her. "He gave his life for you and you would just throw that sacrifice away?"

"I didn't ask for this!" Elisa shouted. "Don't you think I know he is dead because of me? I can hardly stand to be around the Clan, because their grief is a constant reminder that _I'm_ the reason he's dead. I don't deserve to be alive, and you had no right to stop me!"

"I have every right to make sure you stay alive Elisa Maza. He loved us both," she said, her voice cracking with that statement. "And he said the Clan would need both of us. I cannot and will not do this alone. Besides, I swore on his grave that I would do what it took to protect his child and I am not about to go back on that oath."

Elisa's face twisted in confusion. "But…Angela-,"

"I'm not talking about Angela, Elisa," Demona whispered. Elisa went very, very still and Demona pressed on after licking suddenly dry lips. "I don't know how, but you are carrying his child Elisa. Goliath may have died that night, but you still carry a part of him with you. He can still live on in this," she told the shocked woman as she rested a hand gently on Elisa's still flat stomach.

"I-I'm pregnant?"

Demona simply nodded somberly, carefully watching the other woman's reaction. "B-But how? How come no one said anything before this?" she asked her voice beginning to rise in anger.

"Only two other people besides myself know that you are pregnant. None of your doctors know, simply because they probably never thought to run a test to show if you were pregnant or not. I figure they haven't drawn any blood in the last couple of weeks either, when the elevated hormones would be a clear sign of pregnancy."

"Who else knows?"

"Angela and strangely enough, Helena. We all immediately recognized a change in your scent. I'm surprised Hudson has said nothing about it, but then he may be keeping his knowledge close to his chest as we were."

"Why have you kept this a secret from me?" she demanded again.

Demona sighed wearily. "Because of your emotional state Elisa. We simply didn't think you could handle having this news so soon after his death. I almost told you that day you came to my mansion. Then you had the dream and were so agitated by it, that I felt maybe it wasn't the right time yet."

Elisa stared blankly at the floor. "My god," she finally whispered as her whole body shook violently. She rocked forward, her face going pale, and for a moment Demona thought she was going to be sick. She reached out to steady Elisa as she seemed to curl in on herself, and then pulled the human to her as she broke down again.

They sat that way for most of the night, Demona awkwardly holding Elisa, as she came to grips with the news and her own actions from earlier in the evening. When she had finally calmed down enough, Elisa pulled away self-consciously from her former enemy and went back to a blank stare at nothing.

Both women curled up right there on the floor during the early hours of morning, and slipped into a fitful sleep as exhaustion finally overtook them. This time when their loved one appeared to them in their dreams, neither woman fought it. And when they awoke later that day- Demona shocked that her transformation hadn't woken her at dawn- a sense of peace had finally settled over them both.

Demona had come up to the balcony where Elisa had been standing for a few minutes, and leaned against the railing, silently looking out over her quiet landscape.

"I'm not going to jump, if that's what your worried about," Elisa muttered.

"I know," Demona answered back with a hint of a smile.

"What the hell am I going to do now?" Elisa sighed after several long minutes of silence.

"What you've always done best- improvise," the immortal shrugged as she looked over at Elisa.

Snow began to fall, and Elisa scowled at it. "Damn freezing weather."

"I heard Xanatos and the Wayne's mention that they'd like to take a vacation somewhere warm and tropical. I don't know about you, but the idea is definitely holding appeal."

Elisa snorted. "I said the same thing to Dracon that night." Then she sighed and shook her head. "Maybe the Chief was right. Maybe I am off my rocker and should be kept off the streets."

"Well as to being off your rocker, you're not even close to my level of insanity, so don't go giving yourself any straightjacket awards. Maybe a little off balance, but that probably is just as much due to hormones as it is your grief. And yes, it is a good thing you are off the streets," she smirked at Elisa when the darker woman scowled at her. "At least until junior there has been delivered safely," she added as she pointed to Elisa's torso.

"But once that's done and over with, I'm sure you'll find other ways to fight crime, foolishly risk your life, and take on psychopaths bent on destroying the world. So don't be too depressed about it," the immortal quipped.

She watched as Elisa tried to keep the scowl on her face, and snickered. This caused Elisa to chuckle wryly, as she shook her head and looked back over the landscape. "I'm scared," she whispered finally.

Demona smiled knowingly. "I know…I was too when I was carrying Angela. There's so much out there that seems bent on destroying everything we hold dear. On the other hand, there are so many others who want to be there for you, to help you protect all of that."

"Will you?" Elisa asked hesitantly, not quite sure if she wanted to look at Demona.

Demona turned to face Elisa fully, and lifted her chin up to regard the human. She was amazed at the changes this one woman had wrought in her life. A year ago, she would have scoffed at the idea of being friends with another human, let alone Elisa Maza. Now the woman she once despise, was asking for her help.

"I do, and I will," she vowed sincerely.

Elisa swallowed thickly as unshed tears shimmered in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, before they both turned to watch the snow blanket the earth in white. White, the universal sign of peace. It was fitting, for at that moment, that was what each woman truly felt. No matter what lay ahead, they had come to terms with each other, and if they could accomplish that, then who knew what the future could hold for them.

**Three Weeks Later…….**

"So?"

"What?"

"Are you finally going to admit that you're happy I dragged you down here?"

"Don't push your luck Dee."

"Dee? What, you two are on a nickname basis now?"

"I got sick of having to figure out if I should call her Demona or Dominique during the day, so I settled on that."

There was a quiet pause, and Elisa finally looked over at Fox Xanatos, to see her smirk. "Go to hell," Elisa muttered, before she settled back into her lounge chair and sipped on her fruity drink.

"Well it's nice to see that all this sunshine hasn't chased away your cheery disposition Sugar."

Elisa groaned. "Who invited him?" she complained.

"Hey, I froze my butt off that night with all of you too. Besides, David and I wanted to discuss some business in a less formal arena."

"I don't even want to know," Elisa said as she held a hand up. "Oh, and Tony?"

"Yeah Sugar?"

"Stay away from Reese, or I might have to kick your ass if I hear your ruining his vacation."

Tony chuckled. "You're feisty when you're pregnant Maza. Maybe you should have a few more kids."

"Continue that thought, and I'll make sure you never have any Tony," she said sweetly.

Dracon walked past the sunbathing women with a hearty laugh, and headed down towards the surf, where several others were relaxing in the warm, crystal clear waters.

"I don't think I've ever seen Dracon without a suit on. He's pretty hot," Fox noted as she pulled her sunglasses a little lower to check out Tony's surprisingly muscular form.

"Yeah, well I hear prison will help with that, since you've got nothing else to do but rack weights and eat the healthy food they serve you."

Dick came back up from the beach, Barbara in his arms, and he settled her onto a nearby lounge before pulling a second one close to her. Fox smiled over at the recovering woman. "You've got to let me know your secret Barbara," she said nodding towards Dick, who was practically waiting on her hand and foot.

Barbara grinned back, and nodded down towards the water. "I've got one word for you- Helena."

That earned a laugh from Elisa, who immediately understood what Barbara was referring to, and the others shared a look, happy to hear the raven-haired woman laughing again. "So Elisa, have you experienced any of the usual symptoms of pregnancy yet?"

Elisa shook her head. "I talked to my mom, and she said none of her family ever really got morning sickness…which I guess would really be evening sickness for me given my normal schedule. No real food cravings yet either."

Fox and Demona chuckled. "Just wait another month or two Elisa," Demona warned. "If that child is going to be as gargoyle as they think, you'll be craving as much rare protein as you can get your hands on."

"Your food bill is going to double over the coming months," Fox added knowingly.

"Great. I'm out of a job, pregnant, and I'm going to be eating like a horse." Elisa didn't sound to resentful of the fact however.

"Any thoughts yet as to what you want to do now?" Dick asked interested.

"Dee is trying to woo me with promises of high pay and a power trips as VP of Security for Nightstone," Elisa chuckled.

"Hey, that doesn't sound too bad. Security for some rinky dink firm would be a joke, but VP in a company that size could be pretty exciting."

"Is she bribing you to build it up?"

The others laughed. "No, it's just that I know what it's like to run security for a good sized corporation, and it ain't boring, that's for sure."

"Man this place is so cool!" Dinah gushed, as she and Helena came up from the cove where they had been snorkeling for the last two hours. "Thank you guys so much for inviting us here Mrs. Xanatos."

"Please call me Fox, Dinah. And it was our pleasure. David and I have wanted to come down here for months, and we thought it would only be fitting to enjoy this with everyone. We all deserved a break after that, and we felt that it would be a great way of saying thanks to all of your friends from New Gotham that lent a hand."

"I heard the Clan says it's a little warm for them," Helena remarked as she sat down.

"They're hide is thicker than ours. Personally, I was more than happy to thaw out for a week," Elisa answered.

"Aha!" Demona said triumphantly. "You are glad to be here."

"Shut up."

"Hey, have you guys noticed that Ice- I mean Rose, and Hudson have been spending a lot of time together?" Dinah giggled.

"Go Hudson," Fox chuckled.

"He may come across all gruff, but he's always been a charmer. I think it was the thick accent," Demona told them.

"Mommy, look at what I found!"

Fox took off her sunglasses, as her son raced up to her a large starfish in hand. She praised him for his find, and examined it carefully with him for a few minutes. Then he proceeded to bring it to everyone else to share his find with them.

He came to Elisa last, and while she was studying the starfish, he was studying her. "How come your tummy isn't getting bigger yet?" he asked, with the innocence of youth.

Elisa nearly dropped the starfish in surprise, and a few of the others snickered, while his mother said his name reprovingly. "Um, well…the doctors don't know how quickly the baby will develop yet Alex. A gargoyle normally takes ten years to hatch, but my baby is half gargoyle and half human. No one has ever heard of hybrid like this…not even Hudson or Demona."

"Wow. So you could be pregnant for ten years!" he whispered.

"God I hope not!" Elisa groaned as that though occurred to her for the first time. "And if you had anything to do with this young man, you had better go talk with your uncle to make sure that I'm not."

The child scuffed his toe in the sand, a dead give away. "Alexander Xanatos, I cannot believe you would do something like that without Elisa's permission!" Fox gasped, embarrassed.

"It wasn't just me…or Uncle Puck," he said in defense. "It was a gift mommy." Then he looked at Elisa. "You're not mad are you?"

_Oh god, how can anyone resist those eyes?_ Elisa thought to herself. "No Alex. Actually, after talking with Demona and Hudson, I kind of figured that I must have had a little 'help' from someone. There aren't too many people on that list," she chuckled as she ruffled the boy's hair. "But I'm serious about what I said before. I had better not be pregnant for ten years, or your Uncle Puck is going to be in biiiiiiiggggg trouble."

Alex giggled then, and nodded. "Ok 'Lisa. I'll let him know."

"Hey kiddo, Jesse and I are going to go exploring. You wanna come? We could show him that cool trick you did when you changed me into a panther."

"Yes!" he shouted excitedly. "Can I mom? Please?" he begged.

"Have fun sweetie. But stay close to Helena and Jesse and obey them ok?"

"OK!"

"She's pretty good with kids," Fox noted, after Helena had left.

"If her mother ever had a soft spot, it was most definitely for children," Dick told them. "Every time I see Hel with a kid, it reminds me of her mom. She'll make a good mother herself one of these days."

"So what about you guys?"

"Well….unfortunately that really isn't an option for us anymore," Barbara admitted a little sadly.

"Oh," Fox said embarrassed. "From the shooting?"

"Yeah. They had to take out some of the plumbing. But I accepted long ago that I wouldn't ever have kids of my own, and it's ok, because I inherited a few that I can call my own anyway," she told them with a fond look at Dinah, who blushed.

"Never say never, Barbara," Demona said. "With the corporation we're about to form, who knows what we can fix and cure."

"You guys are fixing to take on the entire medical community I hear."

"You better believe it," Fox them. "And they had better watch out, because we plan to be the ones to re-write medical history."

Barbara chuckled, as she lay back in her lounge chair and closed her eyes. "Saving the world wasn't good enough for you guys huh?"

"That was merely the beginning my dear."


	39. Epilogue: New Beginnings

**A/N: Well ladies and gentlemen…it's been a great ride. I had a heck of a time writing this story, and I can't thank all of you enough for your feedback. I hope all of you enjoyed it at least half as much as I enjoyed weaving. It was truly a challenge and I couldn't have done it without your support. By the way, one last question before I leave you to the close of this year long journey. In creatin gthis story I had three endings outlined and all three written down on paper. Should I post the alternate endings in the future? Or leave the story as is? You the readers will decide. My sincerest and most humble thanks.**

**RMB**

**Epilogue**

**Manhattan**

Roughly a year and a half after the Dock Wars… 

Demona walked down the hall, engrossed in a report she had been reading regarding her recent business venture with Xanatos and Wayne. Things were looking very promising. Promising enough that she felt it was time to invest in a little more stability in the project. Perhaps she would open up a new division in New Gotham.

A faint noise down the hall, coming from the rookery wing suddenly halted her progress, and she quickly dropped her report and silently ran towards the protected area. How could anyone get past her security measures without tripping at least one alarm?

She flattened herself against the wall outside the rookery doorway, noticed it was half open, and swallowed against the sick feeling rising in her gut. _Please no_, she begged silently. Peeking in, she saw a dark figure reach down into the nest and burst through the door with a battle cry.

The figure sidestepped her attack without even looking back, and quickly leapt out of reach. "Easy Dee, it's just me," a familiar voice told her calmly.

Demona hesitated, and then relaxed completely as she recognized her 'intruder'. "Elisa? Where the hell have you been?"

"New Gotham," she answered as she moved towards the nest and leaned down to check on her egg. "He's grown since I left."

"You've been gone for a long time. The doctor feels he may hatch even earlier than they originally estimated. It could be as early as six months, if he keeps up his rate of development. Once the egg was free from the constraints of your body, his growth nearly tripled. So, why New Gotham?" she asked, already dreading the answer to come.

Elisa caressed her egg for a minute longer and then she motioned for Demona to follow her. The two walked silently over to Elisa's room, and Demona used the brief moment to study the human before her. Elisa had changed a great deal since she left. Her hair was even shorter than the last haircut, her cybernetic eye more visible now. She carried herself differently too. Elisa had by no means been another lumbering, clumsy human. But she now moved with a grace and stealth that spoke of training from a master.

Sure enough, when they entered her room she unzipped her garment bag and stepped back. "I wanted to be trained right," she finally answered in a quiet voice.

Demona stared at the costume inside the bag for several long minutes and then closed her eyes as she sighed sadly. "Elisa, I was there that night. When are you going to realize that what happened to him wasn't your fault. You have nothing to atone for. This," she stated gesturing to the bag as she turned to face the human, "will not bring him back. And trust me, this won't make the demons go away."

"Maybe not, but it's something I have to do for myself Demona. Goliath went out there night after night putting it all on the line to make this world a better place- even if it was juts one tiny bit at a time. I owe it to his memory to continue that fight. And if I can't do that as a cop then I'll do it as Manhunter."

Demona snorted lightly. "Manhunter hmmmm?" she asked as she looked back at the costume and picked up the red hood. "Isn't that a little close to what you fought against?"

Elisa shrugged. "Maybe in name, but not in philosophy."

"Well, the first thing I suggest you do before you start gallivanting across the rooftops, looking to get yourself killed, is call your family and your boyfriend. He's been tearing this city apart looking for your corpse. With his contacts in New Gotham, I'm surprised he didn't find out that you were up there."

"I already called my mom when I got into town and Dracon is not my boyfriend."

"Really?" Demona asked with an arched eyebrow as she fixed Elisa with a pointed look. "He's certainly been acting like it."

Elisa looked away. "I made a mistake. I was hurting, desperate, and confused. I slept with him a few times just before I left, and I shouldn't have."

Demona shrugged. "Don't see why not. The man loves you Elisa…always has and always will. Tony Dracon may have a number of undesirable traits but he is loyal to someone he cares about, and he cares a great deal about you. You were actually beginning to loosen up a little before you disappeared."

"Which is why I should have never gotten involved with him, and one of the reasons I left," Elisa admitted as she slumped onto her bed and ran a hand through her short hair. "I knew Tony loved me, but I could never love him back."

"Can't or won't."

"Doesn't make a difference," Elisa said firmly. "When the fog started to clear from my brain I realized just how deep in I was getting and I couldn't handle it," she admitted her throat closing up slightly with emotion.

"Tony is a good guy in the wrong business, and I can't just turn my back on everything that I've fought for all these years," she added after she had managed to regain her composure.

"The world isn't just black and white Elisa. Surely you realize that, if your willing to put on that damned costume to go out there and risk your life every night."

Elisa looked up at the immortal. "This is different. I may be working outside of the law now, but at least I'm working for it. Tony has cut back on most of his criminal activities, I'll give him that. But I know he hasn't turned his back on his past completely. You simply can't do that once you've gotten into the Family as deep as he has, and I don't blame him. At least with him running things around here again, I know the crime will be controlled."

Demona sighed and shook her head. "Well you should still call him. I think Brooklyn is going to throw him off the parapets if he shows up at the castle one more time asking them if they've heard from you."

"Yeah, I figured I should stop and check in with the Clan as well- let them know I'd be out and about starting tomorrow night."

"What, no heroics your first night back?" Demona asked sarcastically.

"I've been gone for almost five months, training my ass off with some of the best in this business. Tonight is going to be my first and only break in awhile. I just want to spend a quiet night home with my baby."

Demona straightened a bit, and Elisa didn't miss the gargoyle's slightly hurt look. "And in the company of a friend who won't judge me for what I'm about to do," she added hastily, but sincerely.

Demona's posture relaxed. "So have you considered my offer?"

"To be head of security? Yes…and I'd have to decline. I'm a street cop Dee, I don't think I'd be cut out for that kind of thing. I don't want to screw up something as important as being in charge of the security for a major corporation like yours."

"You were a Detective Elisa and a damn fine one. It doesn't take a genius to catch onto the game of corporate espionage. I need someone I can trust who can read people, build loyalty in the troops, and isn't afraid to take some risks every now and then. Trust me when I tell you there really is little difference between what you did and what I'm offering. "

"What about my schedule? I have other priorities in my life now."

"Helena and Bruce manage to do just fine playing busy billionaires and leading their secret night life," the immortal pointed out. "As Head of my Security division you'd be making your own schedule with only a few minor mandatory interferences because of social functions and so forth."

Elisa mulled that over for a few moments and then looked up at the immortal. "Alright, I'll think it over."

Demona smirked as she turned and walked towards the door. "I expect to see you there by eight on Monday morning to meet all the other department heads."

Elisa snorted lightly shaking her head. "And Elisa?" The raven-haired woman looked up. "It's good to have you home."

As the door to her room shut, Elisa laid back on the bed, and closed her eyes as she reached out to pet Cagney who had leapt onto her lap. The purr caused her to smile a bit, reminding her of memories painful yet good. But they were memories of a life that was no longer hers. In a single night her world had been changed.

Her friends in New Gotham had helped her to realize that her life wasn't over though. That she could take the tragedy and trauma that still haunted her dreams, and turn it into a weapon against the evil forces at work in the world. It had taken several weeks for her to realize that this new life was not about revenge- no matter how much she wanted it to be. It was about justice.

Elisa Maza may have had her life completely changed in the blink of an eye. Here she was, living in the home of the female she once considered her most deadly enemy. Monday morning she was about to become employed in a world she'd never imagined herself in. And she had an unborn child resting safely two rooms away within its leathery shell.

Her life was far from being over- it was just beginning. She knew there would be rough times ahead, but she had sworn to herself as she had sworn to her friends in New Gotham. She would never turn her back on justice.

**New Gotham**

**Wayne Manor**

"I still can't believe I'm standing here with all these superheroes!" Dinah whispered to Helena as the two girls watched the couple of the hour circle around the small clusters of tables to greet the guests.

"Hey don't knock yourself too much here Kid. You've etched your own name into their book after some of your incredible saves this past year. Big Wally said you'd have been invited into the JLA by now if it were still functioning."

"Your dad seems kinda bummed that Superman and Wonder Woman didn't show though," Dinah observed, blushing under the praise.

Helena glanced casually around the room and nodded. "Yeah, he said he's tried to contact them a couple of times since he's been back. I think it's been more than a few times knowing him. He's pretty set on trying to get all these new punks who think they're superheroes, set straight. Amazing thing is, he's admitting that he can't do it alone. But they've become so reclusive, they won't even acknowledge any of his attempts to contact them."

"I just can't imagine someone like Superman or Wonder Woman turning their backs on a world they've fought to protect for so long."

Helena raised and eyebrow. "Look what happened to us a couple of years ago Dinah," the brunette pointed out quietly. "Harley nearly broke us, and even Red was about ready to throw the towel in. Everyone has their breaking point D, some people are just a little tougher than others. You know what they about the bigger they are…."she answered trailing off.

"Do you think he'll find them?"

Helena chuckled. "He found them already. I doubt he's going to go much longer without paying them a little visit though. He understands their wish…their need for privacy. Everything they had all worked so hard for, came crashing down around them, and in the end everyone had lost close friends and loved ones. There is no retirement for those of us who chose this life though. We may all have to take a break at some point. But no matter what, when the world needs saving, we have to suck it up because that's who we are."

Helena looked back towards her father who was mingling amongst the crowd, playing gracious host as usual. "Like dad. Even he hasn't moved past the tragedies in his life. He just harnesses the anger and pain better than everyone else."

"You think Elisa will move past her own?" Dinah asked thoughtfully as she sipped on the glass of champagne Helena had snuck her.

"God I hope she will," Helena sighed. "She had the best teacher in the biz to show her how to control it. Elisa was a force to be reckoned with before. As Manhunter, she's someone Manhattan's Underworld is going to be afraid of in a very short time."

"Hey I've been meaning to ask you, do you think she has some meta in her? I mean she may not be as strong as you, but she has some lightening fast reflexes."

"Yeah I wondered about that. I mean, I don't know exactly what was involved with hardwiring that new high tech eye into her brain. I know it gives her night vision and a killer aim, but I have no idea what other little extras it does for her now. Maybe I should mention it to Red though. I know she got more than a few blood samples from Elisa during her training here," Helena chuckled in memory.

"You still haven't told me why the two of you got into that fight. You know I could just find out the easy way," the blonde told her with an air of superiority.

"Try it and I'll make sure you have nightmares for a week," Helena shot back with an evil smirk of confidence.

"Are you two fighting again?" Reese asked as he slid into his chair and leaned in for a kiss that bordered indecent.

"Yuck! Come on you two we are at dinner and it's not even your wedding!"

"Yes, but I am the Maid of Honor, therefore I have freedom to whatever I want," the brunette gloated.

"Like getting a room," Dinah muttered.

"This from the underage drinker," Reese grinned.

"Hey your girlfriend supplied me."

"Hmmm Dinah's been a bad girl Reese," Helena purred. "Maybe you should break out the handcuffs."

Dinah stared at Helena in shock as a crimson flush crept up her neck and turned her whole face red. "Hel!" she squeaked out.

Reese doubled over laughing and Helena nearly fell out of her chair. "Dinah by the looks of things you need some rescuing here. With a blush that bad I can only imagine what my corrupted daughter has just said to you, but I promise I'll try and make it up to you when she and I train next time."

Dinah smiled thankfully up at Bruce Wayne who was standing over her protectively, not quite glaring at his daughter. "Batman to the rescue….you know you take all the fun out of things," Helena said trying to pout, but giggling too much to pull it off. "And you only beat me yesterday because you pulled that cheap shot on me."

Bruce just smirked. "I believe you were the one who insisted no holds barred, no rules."

"Yeah well we'll see who wipes the mat with the other tomorrow night," she shot back confidently.

"Is everything a contest for you two?" a welcome voice laughed.

"Now you know how I felt when you and Dick used to try and one-up each other every night," Bruce grinned over at Barbara. "How are you feeling?" he asked as she sank gratefully into a chair.

"My feet are killing me!" she complained poking Dick in the shoulder. "I still don't understand how someone so graceful can have two left feet on the dance floor."

"What about the coupler?" Helena asked pointedly.

Barbara endured her unhappy and suspicious look, and simply smiled back reassuringly. "I'm fine sweetheart. With all the help I've been getting on this, it's been nearly perfected. But just to be safe, I'm only wearing it for the wedding and then I'll give myself a rest for the next few days unless I absolutely need it."

Which would probably be more than really necessary, Helena thought to herself, but she really couldn't fault the redhead. The birth of Black Knight Enterprises had been a success. Barbara and Dick had originally planned to be married almost a year ago. Then she found out about the focal point of the research being done by Dark Knight and volunteered her own services. Barbara Gordon who was never selfish, admitted to something that she desperately wanted and knew she could achieve. She wanted to walk down the isle of her own wedding.

And so the wedding had been postponed as progress was rapidly made. Dinah took the interim to travel abroad, fulfilling her own desires to reclaim some of her lost youth, and Helena and her dad spent the time bonding even closer, regaining the years lost to them as well.

Dick had never looked happier in all his life, as his bride walked down the isle, a beautiful smile lighting up her own face in a way even Helena had never seen before. She had almost cried at that moment, and took comfort in the fact that she had not been the only one to get misty-eyed. The wait had been well worth it, and she could not fault her best friend for wanting to test the limits a little in the coming days. She more than deserved the rewards of her life's sacrifices.

"More champagne?" Alfred asked as he came over with a tray laden with champagne glasses.

"Sure!" Dinah said as she reached for another glass.

Alfred deftly intervened her attempt to consume more alcohol, and placed a different glass in her hand. "And sparkling cider just for you Miss Dinah," he smiled back at her. The teen pouted as he passed out the remaining glasses, and then had to suppress a huge grin when he purposely brushed past her with a wink, letting her read his mind.

Helena snagged another waiter passing by and handed Alfred a glass of champagne as Dick pulled another chair over. "Take a break for a little bit and enjoy some time with you family Alfred," Dick told the aging butler who graciously accepted the offer. Dick waved Jim Gordon over, who joined the group nursing his well-aged scotch instead of champagne.

Dinah used the distraction to eagerly sipped from her glass, happy to see that Alfred's 'cider' was definitely spiked with champagne. Helena clinked a fork to her glass and stood. "Ok, so I know I'm supposed to make a toast for everyone else in a few minutes, but I thought I could make a little more private one with just the family for now."

Glasses were raised and Helena looked around the table with joy and love sparkling in her eyes. "When my mom was killed, I never thought I would have a family again. That I'd never know the joys, the trials, the love or bond that a family feels. Barbara you and Alfred helped to me to overcome the greatest tragedy in my life and realize that I did still have people who loved and cared for me. I love you both more than you will probably ever know, and I owe you both everything for helping me to become who I am today.

"Jim, despite your reservations about me because of my mother, you still welcomed me as a part of your family. You were there for Barbara and I when we both needed it, and you never let us doubt ourselves when things were at their worst. Thank you for having an open mind and an open heart.

"Dinah, when you crashed into the Clocktower, you brought an innocence and joy back into our lives that we had been missing for so long. It bugged the hell out of me, because I realized that the brooding thing I had perfected was a little boring at times," she grinned, earning a giggle from the teen. Helena leaned over to take Dinah's hand, letting the young woman read her open mind and heart, bringing tears to both of their eyes. "You have truly become a sister to me and I will always be here for you like you have always been there for me."

Her gaze softened a great deal as she looked at Reese. Everyone wondered for a second if she would finish the toast as they seemed to get lost in each other's gaze, and Dinah shifted at the intensity of the emotions rolling between the two. "Jesse, you showed me how to truly love someone again, and after everything I had done to push you away, you were still there for me when I needed you," she finally said simply.

She grinned over at Dick. "Bro, you gave me the kick in the ass that I needed. Thank you and I'll be more than happy to return the favor any time you need it." That earned a good laugh from everyone, and lightened the mood. "Dad…thank you for being there this past year and a half. I know you have other plans eventually, but we are a family, and I hope you realize that without you, we won't be whole. So here is to all of us…a toast to family."

_**FIN**_


End file.
